Warriors and Generals
by The Dream Whisperer
Summary: Rikkaicentric Sengoku era AU. Seigaku is now on a conquering streak, and Hyoutei is its latest victim. Rikkaidai remains the most powerful, and is Seigaku's next target. Main parings are SanadaAtobe, NiouYagyuu and YanagiInui. WIP.
1. The Generals

**Warriors and Generals -Part One: The Generals**

**Characters/Pairings: **Sanada/Atobe, Rikkai  
**Rating: **PG-13  
**Words:** 5887  
**Summary: **Hyoutei had fallen, and its General, Atobe Keigo, was the only known survivor of its ruling family. Sanada rushed to the rescue. Sengoku-jidai, a Rikkai-centric historical AU that is more AU than history.

"Yukimura-dono! Yukimura-dono!" One of Rikkai's fastest messengers burst through the doors, panting harshly.

"What is it?" Yukimura looked up from his breakfast, wooden chopsticks clinking softly against porcelain as he laid them down.

"Dreadful news, Yukimura-dono!" The messenger waved his hands around frantically. "Hyoutei… Hyoutei…"

"What happened to Hyoutei?" Sanada asked sharply, seated on Yukimura's right hand side.

"Hyoutei had fallen, Sanada-taichou. Seigaku… Seigaku had won."

A loud crash sounded, and the three pairs of eyes, the messenger's, Yukimura's and Yanagi's, turned to Sanada as he stood up hastily, knocking over his bowl in the process. His face had paled to an almost ghostly white.

"Yukimura, I…"

Yukimura nodded crisply. "Get yourself dressed, Genichirou. Renji," the daimyo nodded to the man seated to his left, "request for one of our fastest horses and get the items Genichirou would need."

Yanagi nodded, standing up fluidly. He signed for the messenger to follow him and they left seconds before Sanada came to his senses, bowing jerkily to Yukimura once before half-running to his rooms.

"Thank you."

Yukimura only smiled. "If anyone can get Atobe here safely, it is you."

-

To say Sanada was surprised to see Marui standing beside his horse, holding a small bag would be a grave understatement.

"What are _you_ doing here?"

Marui snorted. "Do you really think I trust any of the servants to prepare one of our best horses for you? Have more respect for my intelligence, please, taichou." He handed him the bag. "There's enough food and water there to last for three days. The servants also packed medical supplies – for Atobe-san – and warm clothes."

Sanada took the bag, still slightly confused even as he mounted the horse. "You still haven't answered my question."

Marui laughed, stepping backwards and bowing slightly to Sanada. "On the behalf of all of us, I wish you good luck, Sanada-taichou. Bring Atobe-san to us so we can have an excuse to declare war on Seigaku."

"War-mongering bastard, aren't you?"

"Only as much as any of the others." Marui shrugged.

Sanada laughed, feeling some of his tension fade away due to the familiar banter. "I have to go now. Thank the others for me, won't you?"

"Do you have to ask?"

--

Sanada could feel the wind blowing against his face as he spurred his horse westward, towards Hyoutei. The road was nothing new; he had travelled this road many times these past four years. Unbidden, his mind returned to that time, barely three years ago, when he had first met Hyoutei's prideful (or, as most would say, _arrogant_) General.

Atobe Keigo.

---

Sanada Genichirou was bored out of his mind.

He sighed, lifting his head from the mind-numbingly boring book on his lap to glance at the plans surrounding him. Hyoutei's gardens were stunning, especially now, during springtime. Sakura petals were everywhere, and Sanada had to marvel at the richness of their colour.

His reverie was broken, however, when soft and inconspicuous footsteps sounded behind him. He had a hand on the hilt of a katana when someone sat down suddenly beside him.

Sanada raised an eyebrow at the newcomer, surprised at his appearance. The man had short, light brown hair that reminded him a little of Yagyuu Hiroshi, except that Yagyuu's hair was straighter and of a darker brown. Even odder, the stranger's eyes were _blue_.

Well. Hyoutei certainly had some rather interesting looking people. Sanada wondered, at the back of his mind, if this man was related to Hyoutei's daimyo, Sakaki Tarou. He doubted that many people had light-coloured hair, not in Japan.

"It is not very polite to stare, Sanada Genichirou."

Sanada blinked at the use of his name. "Nor is it polite not to introduce yourself, stranger, especially when you already know of my name."

The man laughed, rich and full of good humour. He bowed slightly, still seated. "Atobe Keigo, General of the Hyoutei armies, at your service."

Sanada blinked again before bowing back, letting his hair cover the slight smirk that had appeared on his face. "And what does the esteemed Hyoutei General need from this lowly stranger, Atobe-_sama_."

"Spare me the theatrics," Atobe snorted, waving a hand negligently in Sanada's direction, "General of the Rikkaidai armies, Sanada Genichirou. I know perfectly well who you are."

Sanada shrugged. "It's always a boon to me if I test someone who claims to be a high-ranking officer if they are ignorant enough to believe me when I call myself a lowly stranger, Atobe."

Atobe raised an eyebrow, looking amused and slightly impressed. "Then, Sanada, I trust that I have passed that little test of yours? You are no uneducated lout, I see."

"An uneducated lout would not be able to gain a position of General, Atobe. Not at Rikkaidai, at least."

"Very true." Atobe nodded, folding his hands at his lap as he leaned against the sakura tree behind him. "So what are you doing in our humble gardens, Sanada? Aren't you supposed to accompany your daimyo?"

Sanada barked out a laugh. "According to Yukimura, I am just here for 'decorations' and 'to fill space in list of people I bring to Hyoutei'. Diplomacy isn't exactly my forte." He turned towards Atobe. "What about you? Does Sakaki not require your presence in the alliance talks?"

Atobe had raised an eyebrow at him, most likely due to his casual use of Yukimura's name. "Sakaki-sama doesn't need his soldiers to fight his verbal battles for him. He does that very well alone."

Sanada saw a silent challenge appear in those odd blue eyes and smirked. "Since we are both unneeded by our daimyos, Atobe, what do you say about a friendly duel?"

"Wouldn't that endanger the alliance talks?" Atobe tilted his head to the side, questioning. The small smirk on his lips, however, belied his question.

Sanada chuckled. "I daresay that Yukimura had already expected this from me and had made allowances for it. Whatever we do has no impact on the alliance talks, since we have already established that neither of us have any involvement in them."

"I agree" Atobe nodded. "Shall we adjourn to the dojo, then?"

Sanada stood, closing his book with a hand while the other brushed sakura petals from his lap. He felt the familiar frisson of excitement in his blood and smiled, knife-sharp.

"Of course."

-

To be honest, Sanada didn't know what to expect from Atobe Keigo.

True, the man _was_ the General of Hyoutei's huge army at such an apparently young age, but that didn't exactly say very much of his skill with a sword. For all Sanada know, Atobe might have been chosen for his strategic and planning abilities instead of his skill with a katana.

Seeing how easily Atobe handled his katana and wakazashi and their exquisite make and carefully polished state, however, made Sanada doubt that theory.

Atobe had noticed him staring a smirked slightly. "Are you regretting your words now, Sanada?"

Sanada snorted, shedding the restrictive outer layer of his kimono as he returned Atobe's smirk with a challenging glare of his own.

"Hardly."

"Then prepare to be awed by ore-sama's beauteous skills."

Sanada felt his eyebrow shoot up to his hairline and barely managed to repress a sudden urge to burst out laughing at Atobe's exclamation.

"We shall see, shan't we?" He replied mildly, a hand on the hilt of one of is twin katanas.

Atobe's smirk widened and it was the only warning Sanada had before Atobe disappeared from his line of sight and reappeared right in front of his, katana aimed right at his heart.

'_Fast!_' Sanada thought as he backed up two steps, unsheathing his katana's just in time to block Atobe's blow. He parried and feinted towards the right, driving his katana towards Atobe's left side. Atobe was right-handed; logic and experience told him that his weaker side would be his left.

Sanada's eyes widened when Atobe unsheathed his wakazashi with his left hand in a lightening-quick movement, blocking Sanada's katana while, at the exact same moment, sent his own katana to Sanada's unprotected right side.

Atobe smirked again, and Sanada gave him a tight smile in return as he leaned backwards slightly to avoid a critical injury. He unsheathed his second with his left hand and blocked Atobe's wakazashi in its path. Atobe pressed his advantage, his katana pointed at Sanada's right foot. He was almost leaning his whole weight on his wakazashi.

Sanada stepped backwards suddenly, releasing the pressure and sending Atobe suddenly off-balanced. He swept his right hand in a crescent arc, knocking the wakazashi out of Atobe's surprised hand. Atobe had barely enough time to blink before Sanada's raised his right hand so that the katana it was holding rested on Atobe's shoulder, the edge of the blade at his throat. His second katana sat on Atobe's hips, ready to split if into two if Sanada wished for it.

Sanada blinked slightly in confusion when he saw that Atobe was still smirking, still confident even when he was in a situation like this. He opened his mouth, about to inform Atobe that he had just _lost_ when he felt a sharp prick at his skin, right above his heart. Blinking again, Sanada looked down.

A small, ornate dagger was pressed against his chest, its tip breaking the skin. A small drop of blood had welled up at the wound. Sanada blinked at the sight.

"Would a dagger to the heart kill you first, Sanada, or would your katana at my throat kill me before I move my hand?" Atobe's voice was silky, and Sanada couldn't hear any uncertainty in that voice.

He smiled. "Perhaps we would die at the same time."

"A draw, then?"

"If it pleases you to call it that, then yes. "

Atobe laughed, and Sanada could feel the dagger being removed from his skin. He sheathed his katanas as well, stepping back.

"Sanada."

"Hm?"

"My rooms are down this hallway. If you are ever as bored as you looked just now, below the sakura tree, knock on the door and we can have another spar."

Sanada raised an eyebrow. "Are you so confident that I wish to spar with you again?"

Smirking, Atobe replied: "Of course."

"Would your lady not object?"

Atobe shrugged, picking up his wakazashi from where it had flew from his hand. "I am yet unwed." He cocked his head towards Sanada. "Would _yours_?"

Sanada mirrored his shrug, pulling up the outer layer of his kimono and tying the obi. "I am unwed as well." He turned to face Atobe, smiling slightly. "I daresay that I would disturb you many a time during my stay here, Atobe."

Atobe only laughed. "I look forward to it."

--

Sanada had lost count of the number of times he had sparred with Atobe. The talks had gone on for over a month, and there seemed to be no end in sight. For every single day of that month he had knocked on Atobe's door, and Atobe had always indulged him.

Of course, they didn't spar every time. Atobe was a busy man with a hectic schedule, and apparently he had felt confident enough that Sakaki would succeed with the alliance talks that he had decided to drag Sanada along when he performed his various duties inside the walls of Hyoutei.

And Hyoutei, as Sanada soon learned, was _enormous_. Unlike Rikkaidai, where he couldn't take a long walk without seeing well-kept fields or decorated buildings, Hyoutei had large areas of uncultivated, unoccupied land.

These lands included the mountains.

Hyoutei's mountains were _magnificent_. They, as Atobe had told him, also serviced as places of worship for the common people. Sanada managed to spot quite a few temples along the slopes of the mountains he had seen, along with, of course, high towers made of stone and limestone that served as lookout towers for Hyoutei.

These towers were partly the reason why Yukimura had decided on this alliance with Hyoutei. It was half-impossible to invade Hyoutei; any troops would be spotted twenty miles from the main entrance from any of the lookout towards up on the mountains, and the soldiers up these mountains were armed to the teeth with poison-tipped arrows.

The other reason was, of course, that Rikkaidai didn't need Hyoutei's land (it had more than sufficient for itself, now), but what they needed was the co-operation with Hyoutei's huge armies. If Rikkai tried to conquer Hyoutei and even if they won, none of Sakaki's soldiers would be willing to serve the man who had conquered them. Plus, if they went to war, Hyoutei would lose many soldiers, which completely defeated the reason of why Yukimura wanted Hyoutei in the first place.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Atobe spoke, breaking the comfortable silence between them. The pride in his voice was as obvious as daylight.

Sanada nodded. He wasn't one for lying when he saw no good reason not to tell the truth. "Aah." He turned towards his companion, slowing his horse as the other man chatted briefly with a group of passing soldiers, who seemed awestruck.

"You have pride… in yourself, in your soldiers and, most of all, in your city." It was more of a statement than a question.

"Atobe raised an eyebrow at him." "Don't _you_?"

"Of course. There is no greater joy than seeing your people, your _city_ prosper and grow stronger, knowing all long that you have helped it grow."

"I agree." Atobe replied, contemplative.

They fell back into silence after back. The rhythmic sound of metal horseshoes beating against the dirt of the ground was the only noise for quite some time.

"They call you the Troika, you, Yukimura and Yanagi. Rikkai prospered because it had the three of you, the Lord, the General and the Strategist, at its helm. Does knowing that make you proud as well?"

Sanada shook his head. "I am proud that I have done something to aid in Rikkai's development, but I am _not_ proud to have so much credit. No, most of Rikkai's growth is Yukimura or Yanagi's efforts. I am simply the man who readies the troops for war and fight with them _during_ said war."

"Modest, aren't you?" Atobe chuckled.

"I only spoke the truth." He shrugged in reply.

"I've heard rumours, there's lots of them here, that Yukimura is the child of a kitsune god, for Rikkaidai had grown from a small, virtually unknown city to the most powerful one in Japan in just a little over ten years." Atobe's voice sounded slightly hoarse, as if he was trying to stifle laughter.

Sanada laughed, long and loud, scaring away most of the birds in the vicinity. "Yukimura is definitely the son of a very _human_ pair of parents, Atobe. Rumours are nothing but speculations and nonsense. I have known Yukimura ever since I first met him at three years old. He is human. A genius of the highest calibre, yes, but he is _definitely_ human."

"And Yanagi?"

"What about Yanagi?"

"Have you known him since childhood as well, Sanada? From what the most of Japan knows, he appeared in Rikkaidai three years ago without warning and had immediately taken up a post as Yukimura's advisor and a genius strategist. No one had heard of him before that." Atobe's tone was casual, but Sanada could hear the honest curiosity clearly.

"Yanagi was born in Seigaku and had spent over half of his life there. I can't tell you any more than that, Atobe. It is not my story to tell." Sanada shook his head in exasperation. He wasn't offended. Atobe wasn't the first person to ask this question, and Sanada thought it rather strange. Did it really matter where Renji had come from? Sanada didn't think so.

Atobe, perhaps sensing Sanada's thoughts, let the matter drop.

The silence dragged on, and Sanada realized that it was oddly uncomfortable, a far cry from the comfortable silence they had shared before.

"Seigaku is getting stronger." He said; just to break the silence.

Atobe nodded, and Sanada thought that the other man looked relieved, just for a moment. "Their General, Tezuka, is gathering the best samurai of his city and giving them high offices in the army. It seems that he's thinking of expanding Seigaku's territory. He has the most power in that city now that the daimyo had died without choosing an heir"

"You should be careful." Sanada wasn't very sure why he was warning Atobe.

"Why?"

"If Seigaku is looking for new land, Hyoutei would be their first target. Your city _is_ the largest in Japan right now."

Atobe snorted. "There is no need to warn me, Sanada. I know that very well, and I also know that there is almost no doubt that Hyoutei would win in a confrontation between my city and Seigaku. We are stronger." He laughed confidently. "In fact, I half-wish that Tezuka would attack us. I have been waiting for a proper duel with him for a long while."

--

'Time flies when you are enjoying yourself.' Sanada remembered that saying, and he had to shake his head at how accurate it was.

It had been two months since they had taken the ride through the mountains, discussing about Seigaku. The alliance had been finalized after over three months of talks. Oddly enough, Sanada almost felt that only three _weeks_ had passed instead of the three months.

Being in Atobe's company _did_ tend to make one forget 'mundane' things such as time, after all. Sanada chuckled softly at that thought.

He had just stepped into saddle of his horse, bridled beside Yukimura's carriage, when he saw Atobe walking towards him.

"What is it?"

"We have yet to determine who the stronger swordsman between the two of us is, Sanada. We have to settle that, soon."

Sanada smirked at the challenge in Atobe's voice, and inclined his head. "You have an open invitation to Rikkaidai then, Atobe. I do agree with you; we have to settle this."

Atobe smiled back, showing teeth. "I will visit that city you are so proud of soon, Sanada. It's a promise."

He bowed shallowly before turning away and walking back towards the city gates. Sanada, inexplicably, felt a twinge of regret as he watched him leave.

"He's an interesting man, is he not? That Atobe Keigo." Yukimura's voice came suddenly from behind him.

Sanada twitched slightly, turning to meet a serene smile that was belied by the mischievous glint in Yukimura's eyes.

"Whatever makes you think so, my lord?"

Yukimura frowned. "No formalities, Genichirou. Not in private." He chastised softly.

"You have been in his company for the past three months, and for those past months, you have told me very much of his various virtues and his many faults. I am neither deaf nor stupid, Genichirou."

"He is a very opinionated man. His views are refreshing, if controversial, and he is never afraid to speak his mind." Sanada shrugged. "He is a good friend, I suppose."

"If you say so." Sanada had the distinct impression that Yukimura was _laughing_ at him, behind his back.

"Whatever do you mean?"

Yukimura chuckled behind a pale hand. "Genichirou, you are always rather _dense_ about these things. Follow your emotions, they won't lead you astray, and they tell you very important things if you would stop thinking and listen to them, once in a while."

"You are being more cryptic than usual, Yukimura. I would not have thought that possible. It is a bad sign when I am unable to understand what you have just said."

Yukimura simply gave him another serene smile. "I suppose that you will understand in due time, Genichirou."

--

Over the next year, Sanada was suddenly very glad that Hyoutei was only half a day's ride from Rikkai. Atobe and he had ridden back and forth between the two cities frequently that Sanada knew both cities as well as he knew the back of his hand. He was positive that Atobe felt the same.

His men had already gotten used to Atobe's sudden appearance in Yukimura's or his own manor and had stopped giving him suspicious stares when he visited. Sanada, too, had stopped feeling guarded and suspecting eyes on his back whenever he decided to visit Atobe in Hyoutei. It was quite a relief.

"The spring sun, it comes,

melting the snow and giving

breath to frozen hearts." Sanada recited the haiku out loud, frowning slightly.

"That was only mildly horrible. Your student is improving." Atobe commented, seated in seiza in front of Sanada. It was one of his many visits to Rikkaidai.

Sanada's frown deepened. "Not as much as he should. He is probably slacking off again."

"You are far too hard on the boy. Kirihara-kun _is_ hard working."

"His swordplay and analytical skills are improving at a shocking rate. He has unbelievable potential as a common samurai, but he would be utterly useless as a general if his calligraphy and literature remains as abysmal as ever. What use are brilliant strategies if your men are unable to read your instructions or if you can't explain it to them?"

Atobe sighed. This was a frequent argument. "I still say that you are too hard on him, but I know you won't listen. Come on, Genichirou. The sakura season has arrived, and I believe Yukimura-sama has organized a viewing banquet in the gardens."

"He _had_ given you permission to call him 'Yukimura', you do realize?"

Atobe shook his head. "Maybe it is fine for _you_ to call him that, but a man who could disarm me within seven moves _deserves_ to be graced with a –sama." He retorted, crossing his arms. "Not even Sakaki-sama had managed that. It boggles me how Yanagi dared to use his first name."

Sanada laughed, shoulders shaking with mirth even as he placed a hand on Atobe's shoulder as a placating gesture. "Renji has Yukimura's permission. There is nothing 'daring' about it, Keigo. It's not as if Yukimura is a god or a spirit. He is a human man, just like all of us."

Atobe huffed slightly, but he made no move to remove Sanada's hand. "He can be as intimidating as a god if he put his mind to it. But never mind that. I know I am being ridiculous; you don't have to keep reminding me of the fact. We have to leave now, or we'll be late."

Sanada didn't remove his hand from Atobe's person throughout the whole banquet. It shifted from to Atobe's back to his waist and back up to his shoulders. Atobe made no complaint. It was a good sign.

"Genichirou, your hand had been on me for almost six hours. Are you trying to tell me something?" Atobe asked, words slightly slurred. The banquet was over, and Sanada had accepted Atobe invitation to sake in Atobe's room, just two doors away from Sanada's. He reckoned that, since they had been drinking for two hours, they were both more than a little drunk.

"Not… not really. It's kind of hard to explain in words when I'm drunk" He felt proud that, unlike Atobe, his voice was as stable as it was when he was sober. "I can show you, though. Would you like me to?"

"Sure. You have to promise not to take this chance to kill me, though." Atobe's eyes were overly bright; he was definitely drunk.

Sanada nodded. "I promise."

He leaned forward, hand on Atobe's hips, and pressed his lips to Atobe's, a soft, chaste kiss, before pulling back. He waited. Somehow, his drunken haze was disappearing, and a sense of foreboding was penetrating to his mind through the holes. He felt a vague sense of horror and wondered what was wrong.

"What? That's it?" Atobe blinked blearily. "Don't you know how to kiss properly?"

Sanada felt a hand pulled at the front of his yukata, sending him half-sprawling forward when a pair of lips, soft and plush and tasting of alcohol, landed on his own. He gasped, and Atobe took the opportunity to insert his tongue into Sanada's mouth.

The sense of horror had disappeared half-way throughout the kiss to be replaced by a sudden euphoria. Sanada couldn't find a reason for his suddenly rapidly-changing emotions, and then decided that he probably didn't need one anyway. Drunk on both sake and euphoria, decided to kiss Atobe back.

"Genichirou…" Atobe slurred when they broke apart due to being unable to breathe. Sanada could see stars behind his eyes. "I think we should continue this _tomorrow_." With that statement spoken, he fell forward onto Sanada's chest and promptly lost unconscious and started to snore.

Sanada blinked, staring at the rapidly multiplying sake bottles on the table. He could have sworn that he and Atobe only had a third of the number of bottles… He shrugged. It didn't really matter.

"Good idea… Keigo."

He slumped backwards and fell asleep.

-

Sanada woke up to a heavy weight on his chest and a pair of groggy blue eyes staring at him. His mouth felt like something had died in it and was rotting. He blinked.

"Keigo? What are you doing on top of…_oh_."

He _remembered_.

Atobe sat up, holding a hand to his head. "Remind me never to drink this much again for no discernable reason. What happened last…_oh_." He blinked rapidly, one, twice, three times, before turning to Sanada.

"Do you mean it?"

"What?"

"Last night…the kiss. Do you mean it?"

Sanada could only nod. "I mean every bit of what I said… or rather," he chuckled softly, wincing as the sound resonated in his head and aggravated his pounding headache nonetheless, "I meant everything of what I _didn't_ say."

"Good." Atobe nodded decisively. "That settles it then."

"Settles what?" Sanada asked, feeling decided steamrolled. The feeling wasn't exactly uncommon, especially during this past year.

Atobe turned, and Sanada could see him roll his eyes before Atobe kissed him, close-mouthed and chaste. He got a whiff of Atobe's morning breath and wrinkled his nose.

"Your breath stinks."

"Yours isn't very much better." Atobe pointed out, matter-of-fact.

"And we both need a bath." Sanada continued, lifting a corner of his yukata to his nose and wincing at the smell. "We stink of sake."

"Do you think your people will look at us oddly if we take one together?" Atobe's expression was neutral, but Sanada knew what he was thinking. Oddly enough, the idea of that appealed instead of disgusted him as he thought it would.

"Of course, but, really, do you really care?"

"No, not really. I've received a very large share of strange looks while in Rikkaidai, what would a few more matter?" Atobe shrugged as he stood. "Besides, I think your men have a pool about when this is going to happen."

"Do they?" Sanada murmured, looking up towards Atobe. He was still seated. "How like them."

Atobe smiled. "If you say so, Genichirou. So… about my offer?"

"Sure," Sanada stood, smiling back, "why not? We might give those good men of mine a few more things to bet on."

"Is that the only reason?"

"No, not by far." Sanada leaned forward, pressing a chaste kiss on Atobe's lips. "Definitely not."

---

Sanada smelled Hyoutei before he saw it.

He could never mistake the scent of smoke and death for anything else. It had a particular smell, like the scents blood and rot and incense thrown together to concoct a particularly foul mixture. Sanada coughed, covering his mouth and nose with a hand as he dismounted and tied his horse to the nearest undamaged tree he could find. The beast did not have to accompany him.

Tucking the bag into a small compartment in the saddle, he squinted, closing his eyes into slits in order to protect them. Ash and broken pieces of wood and metals were flying haphazardly everywhere, and Sanada didn't need to be injured before he found Atobe.

It was only until he had reached Hyoutei's ornate entrance gates that he realized that he had, quite honestly, no clue where Atobe could be. But he gritted his teeth and entered the ruined city nonetheless. He wasn't one to give up so easily, after all.

Hyoutei was half-consumed by a raging fire, bright and blazing, and he saw the trail of blackened corpses that was left in its wake. He offered a mental prayer for the dead before running after the flames. His instincts told him that the fire would lead him to Atobe. Sanada had always trusted in his instinct, and they had never failed him. In fact, it was because of his instincts that he had become the General of Rikkaidai's armies.

Just then, a strong gust of wind blew and the fire split into two different directions. Sanada held an arm in front of his face as a piece of burning wood flew pas, barely missing him. He saw a large stable directly in line to the fire, and there was a trail of still-wet blood leading to its shut door.

He _knew_; all of his instincts were shouting at him: '_Atobe is in there._'

Starting to run towards the stable, he hissed softly as heat from the fire licked at his ankles. He was going to gain quite a few burns from this, but Sanada couldn't care less as he threw open the door and stepped inside before slamming it close to keep the fire out. The blood trail led to the darkest corner of the stable, and he spotted the figure huddled there, shaking.

'_Keigo._'

Sanada breathed a sigh of relief before striding towards the shivering figure. For a moment, he was almost afraid that his instincts had failed him for the first time here, and Keigo was dead.

But Atobe was alive, and Sanada had found him. Everything would be alright now.

He started forward, covering his nose and mouth with a hand to avoid breathing in the smoke. Scooping Atobe up into his arms, Sanada took a deep breath, inhaling smoke into his lungs along with vital fresh air, before running as fast as he could, out of the stable, out of the line of fire, straight out of the city of Hyoutei until he reached the tree where his horse was bridled at.

He knelt, placing Atobe on the cleanest spot of the ground he could find before retrieving his bag from the saddle. Atobe coughed, raspy and barely audible; even as Sanada took the blanket he had wrapped himself him away.

He stared in horror at the massive wound in Atobe's left side. The sides of it were tinged with green, a clear sign of infection that Sanada didn't need. He could _smell_ the infection, now that his breath wasn't choked with smoke.

"Keigo, Keigo, can you hear me?"

Atobe blinked, coughing again. He opened his eyes slowly, as if it took a huge amount of effort. "Genichirou…?"

Sanada nodded. "Yes. I'm here, so you're going to be fine now. Just… hold on while I clean your wound. I need to clean it. It's has been infected."

Atobe gave a small nod.

Sanada set to work. He unscrewed the cap of a water skin, pouring it over the open wound. He could feel Atobe jerked in pain, but he continued, taking out a few rags that Renji had packed and his dagger. He pressed the blade into the infected areas, and greenish-yellow pus oozed out, which he quickly wiped away with a rag, wrinkling his nose at the smell. This was repeated this several times, until it seemed to him that the worst of the infection had been cleared away. The edges of the wound were reddened instead of yellowish now, and that was definitely a good sign.

He stared at the dirty dagger and rags in his hand before grimacing and tossing them in the direction of Hyoutei, as near to the fire as he could reach. It could serve as a substitute for Atobe's body for all he cared. It was disrespectful, he knew, but he really couldn't bear to touch them.

He took out a second water skin and pressed the opened mouth to Atobe's dry lips. His lover drank hungrily, and Sanada unscrewed another skin and poured it over a rag and used it to wipe Atobe's face and neck, until most of the ash had been cleared away. He threw that back towards Hyoutei too. Hopefully the fire would burn that too.

Atobe seemed to have recovered a little due to the water, and Sanada carried him to the horse, hoisting him up before mounting the beast himself. He took a two tiny pieces of umeboshi and pressed them to Atobe's lips, letting the other man chew and swallow them before he untied the horses and kicked its flank.

"Where are we…?" Atobe was interrupted by a fit of coughing, but Sanada knew what he meant nonetheless.

"We're going back to Rikkaidai. You need a healer, Keigo, and we have plenty of those in the mansion. Try to rest; we'll be there when you wake up."

Sanada could feel Atobe nodding weakly. He drove the horse faster, apologizing silently to Atobe for the bumpy ride, but getting him to safety and a healer was more important than comfort right now.

-

It was just sunset when he reached Yukimura's mansion. He had taken less than a day to travel to and from Hyoutei. He dismounted and carried Atobe straight to the mansion's infirmary, ignoring the questions of many of the servants on the way.

Placing Atobe carefully down on one of the beds, he called. "Sengoku!"

The red-haired healer poked his head out of one of the curtains. "What do you… oh, it's you, Sanada-taichou. You really found Atobe-sama, that's amazing! Lucky! Dan-kun!" He raised a hand, and his apprentice appeared from behind yet another curtain. "Please check Atobe-sama's pulse for me, would you?" Dan nodded, and set to work.

"And Sanada-taichou," Sengoku continued, "please get out of the infirmary, you are disruptive because you are just like this big rock in the middle of the road and it'll take us longer if we have to walk around you."

Sanada found himself being pushed out of the infirmary by a chattering Sengoku. "Will he be alright?"

"You mean Atobe-sama?" Sengoku laughed. "Of course he will! You helped us a lot by cleaning his wound, Sanada-taichou, so I'll reward you by telling you that, yes, he will be fine." His attitude suddenly turned serious. "He'll need time to recover, they all do, but he'll be alright."

"I'll hold you to that."

"Have I lied to you, Sanada-taichou? I don't lie, not about things like this." The serious look in his eyes disappeared to be replaced by his normal grin. "And now I'm wasting time here talking to you! Dan-kun! Have you finished taking his pulse yet?"

Sanada sighed, leaning against a wall. He had never figured how Sengoku managed to be one of the best healers in Rikkaidai as well as the most idiotic joker in the city, but he didn't want to try. It wasn't his business, after all. The man did his job well, and that was all that mattered.

Sliding down the wall to sit on the tatami mats, Sanada settled himself for a long wait.

_End Part One: The Generals_


	2. Rikkaidai

**Warriors and Generals - Part Two: Rikkaidai**

**Characters (in order of appearance): **Sakuno, Momoshiro, Ryoma, Sanada, Yanagi, Atobe, Sengoku, Yukimura, Akaya  
**Pairings: **Sanada/Atobe, mostly implied  
**Rating: **PG-13  
**Words:** 7777  
**Summary: **In which Ryoma worries over Tezuka and is confused, while Atobe awakens, Sanada trains and Sengoku thinks about the past. More of Rikkai, and Yukimura, are revealed as Akaya reminiscence about twelve years ago, when he was a thief living on the streets of Rikkaidai.

"How is he?"

Sakuno looked up from where she was washing her hands. At the sight of the newcomer, she blushed slightly.

"Ah, Echizen-kun…" She bit her lip. "Tezuka-taichou has stopped bleeding yesterday, but he still has a high fever… There's still a chance that… he…" She turned away, fidgeting with a wet cloth.

"But you won't let him die, will you?" Echizen's tone was firm, and there was a confidence in it that Sakuno didn't feel.

"I-I don't know, Echizen-kun. His wounds are many and he had lost a lot of blood." She stuttered, still blushing and unwilling to meet Echizen's eyes.

He stepped forward and grasped her hands suddenly. Sakuno gasped, eyes widening at the rare sigh of Echizen's oddly earnest smile.

"I trust you, Sakuno-san. You won't let taichou die, will you?"

"No, no," She shook her head frantically, long hair nearly flying into her mouth. "O-of course not!"

Echizen nodded, stepping backwards and releasing her hands. Sakuno blushed darker, clenching her hands into fists. Turning her gaze to the floor, she bit the inside of her cheek.

'_Echizen-kun's hands were so…warm…_'

"Thank you, Sakuno-san. I feel better now. I'm sure Tezuka-taichou will heal faster in your care."

Sakuno's head shot up, eyes wide, just in time to see the sliding door close with a low, strangely final 'click'.

-

Momoshiro stood when Echizen entered the room, head low.

"What did Sakuno-no-kimi say?"

"Nothing useful. She promised me that she won't let taichou die, but that's it." Echizen shrugged nonchalantly, crossing his arms.

"Nothing?" Momoshiro unconsciously mirrored Echizen's action. "You were gone for almost an _hour_ and she didn't say a thing?"

"I didn't talk to her all that much."

He sighed, "Echizen, you stood outside the door for the better part of the hour just watching Tezuka-taichou, didn't you?"

Echizen shrugged again, but, this time, Momoshiro was sure that he was _sulking_.

"I don't get how he lost so badly to Hyoutei's Atobe. He defeated _me_. He's not supposed to _lose_."

Momoshiro threw up his hands, exasperated. "I knew it. I _know_ you will be brooding over taichou's loss. Hell, _everyone_ is, even though we were the ones who won." He stepped forward. "Look, Echizen, Tezuka-taichou lost to Atobe-san because of his injury-"

"He defeated _me_ with that injury. And no one knew about it except Oishi-fukutaichou," Echizen pointed out, arms still crossed. "Atobe fought dishonourably; he aimed for taichou's shoulder on purpose."

"Have you ever thought that Atobe might just be a better swordsman than you are?" Momoshiro asked, sardonic. "He made Tezuka-taichou go all out with him, and you didn't. Really, Echizen, there _are_ stronger samurai than your father or Tezuka-taichou. Atobe-san is just one of them. I doubt that he counts now, though. After all, he's probably dead."

"We burnt down Hyoutei's castles and pissed the hell off their citizens just to make sure that all those bastards die. I sure hope he is." Echizen grumbled.

Momoshiro narrowed his eyes, lifting a hand to deliver a swift smack to the side of Echizen's head. "It is unworthy of you to speak ill of the dead. Do you _want_ to be haunted or something?"

"I'm just speaking the truth." The sixteen-year-old glared, rubbing at the sore spot on his head.

"Hold your tongue, then, if you have nothing constructive to say. You may be Tezuka-taichou's student and a better swordsman than me, but I _am_ higher ranked." The older man smirked. "Please remember that."

"Yes, yes, whatever you say, Momoshiro-_senpai_…"

Momoshiro's eyes softened. "Tezuka-taichou is a human man, Echizen, no matter how strong of a leader or a samurai he is."

"My father is a human man and a samurai, and yet I have never seen him lose. Not even once."

"Tezuka-taichou is _not_ your father!" He grabbed Echizen's shoulders and _shook_ the younger man, hoping that it would drive what he was saying into that thick skull. "Echizen Nanjiroh is a _ronin_. Tezuka Kunimitsu is _Seigaku's General_. I am of no place to say this, but while Echizen Nanjiroh's deeds were indeed great, Tezuka-taichou ranks far higher in my mind and heart. Do _not_ confuse between the two, Echizen!"

Echizen knocked his hands away, glaring, "I'm _not_ confusing the two! It's just that…" He bit his lip, shaking his head frantically. "I'm _not_ confusing between them! My father is a pervert and a bastard and, no, I'm not sorry for disrespecting him like this. Tezuka-taichou is the first man whom I completely respect! That's why…"

Echizen paused, as if to gather his thoughts. Momoshiro knew better than to interrupt, and thus remained silent, waiting.

"I don't _get_ it. My father has never worked hard for his skills; at least, I've _never_ seen him work hard. But taichou… I saw him training everyday ever since I first arrived, two years ago. He works incredibly hard, and he does it all for Seigaku. My father fights for _himself_ and I have never seen him care for anyone or anything other than himself and perhaps his swords. So why did Tezuka-taichou lose when my father didn't?! It doesn't make any sense and it's… it's not fair."

He seemed to deflate at the end of his speech, sitting down suddenly onto the floor. The last few words were so soft that Momoshiro had to strain his ears just to hear them. He sighed, sitting down beside his friend.

"I won't say that I understand, because, honestly, I don't. But just think: Tezuka-taichou will grow stronger after his defeat, because he's that kind of person. Echizen-san, if he's as you have said, will stagnate over time. You will be able to defeat him soon enough, when you have grown stronger, if that's true."

Echizen shook his head, "I want to defeat him when he's at his strongest. It's the only way I can show myself that I _am_ stronger than he is, no matter what anyone says."

Momoshiro laughed, reaching towards Echizen to ruffle his hair. Echizen barely managed to duck, smiling slightly. "I should have known that you aren't one for the easy road, eh, Echizen?"

"That's because the easy road's completely taken up by your big size, Momo-senpai." The boy grinned cheekily, running a hand through his hair to smooth it flat again.

Growling slightly, Momoshiro pretended to be offended. "Why you little… and I was just _praising_ you too!"

---

Yanagi looked up from his book as Sanada entered the room, placing a small piece of embroidered cloth in between the pages to mark his place even though he didn't need to.

"How is he?"

Sanada sighed, pulling a weary hand over his face. "The same as always. Sengoku reported no changes."

"Patience, Genichirou; remember, sometimes no news is good news."

"It's been _four days_, Renji!" Sanada burst out, scowling fiercely. "He's been asleep for days, and…" He clenched his fists, staring down towards the floor as he paced the room.

Yanagi sighed, an inaudible exhalation of air, before standing. "Genichirou, there is no need for you to frustrate yourself like this. Calm down, please. Sengoku _is_ the best healer that we have. Trust his skills."

"I _know_, Renji. You don't have to remind me of that. But… I just…" he gave a short growl, rubbing furiously at his temple with a fist. "I need to do _something_. Training. A spar. _Anything_. I can't sit here and do nothing except wait!"

"Then don't," Yanagi said quietly, placing a placating hand on Sanada's arm. "Practice your katas if you wish to. There's an empty spot in the garden just outside the infirmary. Sengoku can call you easily if Atobe awakens. It's far better than for you to be disturbing him and his apprentice with your frequent and unnecessary visits."

Sanada raised an eyebrow at the remark before shaking his head, chuckling softly. "Very true. And I won't be disturbing your reading, I suppose?"

Yanagi nodded, barely repressing a smile. "That _is_ an advantage, yes. I have not been able to complete more than a single page ever since Atobe had arrived." He retreated, sitting back down and opening the book, "I place no blame on either of you, however. Your behaviour was perfectly understandable."

"It was deplorable," Sanada corrected with a smile. "Well then, my dear scholarly friend, I shall retire from your presence to train. Unless you wish to join me, of course."

Shaking his head, Yanagi replied, "Not today, I wish to complete this section of this book today. It has some interesting ideas that might be useful to us. Seiichi had expressed an interest in it."

Sanada shrugged, half out of the door. "I will _never_ understand Yukimura and your fascination with literature of decades past, Renji."

Yanagi's soft laugh followed him out of the door.

--

_The darkness is soothing, enticing, and he wants so badly to rest and fall into its comforting arms. He's tired, so exhausted, and he just wants to lie down and sleep. Fighting Tezuka had taken half of his life, and seeing his beautiful city go up in flames just twisted the knife in his heart. He wants to sleep._

_But something is calling him back…_

"Keigo, can you hear me?"

_Of course he can, he is tired, not deaf. But wait…_

"Keigo, you're safe now."

"Keigo, wake up, please."

"Keigo, you have to wake up. You are strong enough to fight against death. You can do it."

_Why should he fight? Whose voice is this?_

"Keigo, please open your eyes. Find your way back here."

_Who are you?_

"Keigo, open your eyes. Live, for me."

_Sanada? No…_

"Keigo, I need you. Come back to me, _please_."

_Genichirou! Is that you?_

He opened his eyes.

Everything was too bright, too loud, and his body hurt too much. He could feel the familiar firmness of a futon underneath his body, and he could smell the thick, cloying scent of burning herbs in the air.

Atobe closed his eyes again. The sounds of a sword cutting through straw echoed through the air, familiar and calming. He blinked slowly, squinting against the sunlight streaming through the open, un-shuttered windows.

Sanada spun through the air, twin katanas flashing in the light as he slashed through the straw dolls surrounding him. Decapitated dolls were already strewn around him, but Sanada didn't trip, or even step, on any of the carcasses, avoiding them with his usual faultless grace. Red and orange leaves, the physical manifestations of autumn, fell around him in swift circles, some landing on his hair.

Atobe would have laughed if his side didn't hurt so much. Sanada looked positively _ridiculous_, and Atobe knew that it was no accident that the first thing he saw upon waking was his lover.

He smiled softly as he watched Sanada go through all of his katas, eyes slowly sliding shut until he fell back into a deep, natural sleep, breathing evening out. He had no more wish to disappear into the darkness.

Standing at the door behind him, unnoticed, Sengoku smiled with no little relief; his most critical patient had awakened, and it seemed that he would be alright now.

He turned away, shaking his head, still smiling. He should report this to Sanada-taichou before the man arrived to disturb his work again.

--

"And that's the extent of it, Yukimura-dono, Sanada-taichou, Yanagi-sama."

Yukimura nodded, sipping his tea silently. Sengoku waited.

"I'm pleased that Atobe has awakened. Please accept my heartfelt thanks and Sanada's as well."

Sengoku laughed sheepishly, running a hand through his copper-coloured hair. "You are very much welcomed, Yukimura-dono, Sanada-taichou. I am just doing my job." He gave a low bow, still seated.

"Nevertheless," Yukimura placed the teacup down. The soft, almost inaudible 'clink' of porcelain against porcelain rang in the air, and Sengoku almost winced. "You did a marvellous job, and doing your job well always deserves commendation."

Beside him, on his left, Sanada nodded. Sengoku had seen the General relax when he told the three of the news, and he had thought that it was a good thing Atobe-sama had woken up when he did; he was certain that Sanada-taichou would go insane with worry if he was made to wait any longer.

"You have saved Atobe's life, Sengoku, and that is certainly no small matter. Do ignore Genichirou's reticence. He is too relieved to speak, no doubt." Yanagi said, completely straight-faced, on Yukimura's right.

"Renji!"

Sengoku could see Yukimura's lips twitching. He could neither blame him nor disagree with Yanagi; what the strategist had said _was_ the truth, after all. Though Yanagi's sense of humour was rather strange, it wasn't Sengoku's place to judge. He shrugged mentally before replying, bowing low again,

"Thank you very much, Yukimura-dono, Sanada-taichou, Yanagi-sama. May I take my leave? I'm afraid that I have left Dan-kun alone for far too long."

Yukimura's eyes had an amused glint in them as he nodded, waving a hand almost negligently.

"Certainly. You are dismissed."

Sengoku stood, unfolding his legs from seiza position as he did so. He bowed once more to the three seated before turning and leaving the room.

It was rather strange, he reflected. Ten years ago, he wouldn't have dreamt of pledging loyalty to Yukimura Seiichi and working at the man's manor as a healer.

After all, ten, no, nine years ago he was still the Chief Healer of the Yamabuki Castle. Nine years ago, Banda-sensei, Akutsu, and Minami were all still alive. Now, only he and Dan were the only survivors among that ragtag group of leaders.

Such were the consequences of war.

It was Yamabuki's fault, really. For as long as he could remember, Rikkai was a small but rich city with fertile soil, a beautiful and strategically-placed port and a mountain that was, according to legends, the home of a god.

Anyone would be tempted to try to conquer it, especially during these turbulent times. The fact that their daimyo was old and sick, and the one in power was an eighteen-year-old boy just added to the temptation as much as that their General was of the same age. Rikkai had been growing steadily richer too, and Yamabuki had grown jealous. They had thought that it would be a cinch to conquer Rikkaidai.

But Yamabuki had underestimated Rikkai. In particular, they had underestimated their boy-leader Yukimura Seiichi and their young General, Sanada Genichirou. Yanagi hadn't arrived, then. Not yet.

The large Yamabuki army was completely massacred by the Rikkaidai army, which numbered merely two hundred then. Today, the numbers had increased to over three thousand.

Sengoku had only survived because he wasn't at the battlefields; he was back at the castle, healing the injured brought in. He was only sixteen at the time. Dan-kun, Akutsu's adopted son, was barely six years old, and was thus kept far away from the fighting.

He could remember, clear as day, how Yukimura had dragged an injured Sanada inside the mansion and _ordered_ Sengoku to heal him. He had seen the injuries on _both_ of them and promptly shoved them to the futons and started to bandage their wounds.

Yukimura and Sanada were wearing uniforms with the Rikkai emblem, but they were injured. They were his _patients_ and Sengoku was always a healer before he was a soldier.

It was only until later that day that he learned that the two whom he had healed were the ones who killed Akutsu, Banda-sensei, Minami, Muromachi, and countless others.

But Sengoku was a healer, first and foremost, and so he continued treating them. He had realized that he would probably be killed, so there wasn't any harm in healing as many injured he could, while he still able.

Banda-sensei had always said that he was too compassionate.

That was why, most likely, he didn't expect his own comrades to turn on him when they did. They had fully recovered, enough to recognise that two of Sengoku's patients were the enemy. The General and the Daimyo, in fact.

They accused him of being a traitor by healing them instead of killing him as he _should_, and proceeded to give him a 'trial'. They sentenced him to death, as he had expected. Sengoku didn't try to stop them; what they spoke of was the truth, and it was always better to be killed by the hands of your own comrades than by the enemy, even though his would be a dishonourable death. He had disgraced his city badly, and he was a failure as a soldier and as a samurai.

He asked them to spare Dan-kun, and they had agreed. The boy was innocent in this, they said, and he was Akutsu's son, adopted or not. They would take care of him.

So why was he so relieved when Sanada had staggered from bed, still bleeding slightly, and managed to kill all seven of the men who was preparing to kill him? Sengoku had pondered over the question for years, and he could only find one answer:

He didn't want to die.

That was why he had accepted Yukimura's offer, he knew.

"_Come with us,_" Yukimura had said. "_To Rikkaidai, and serve as our healer. Pledge your loyalty to me. Bring Dan-kun with you; he shall be your apprentice_."

It was possibly the best decision he had ever made in his life. He knew, without a doubt, that Yukimura would have killed him if he had refused.

Yukimura could be downright cruel and vicious if the occasion called for it. Sengoku had seen this countless of times in his nine years at Rikkaidai. No daimyo could have brought Rikkai up so quickly without being at least a little underhanded and cruel, unless he relied on purely luck. And Yukimura didn't believe in luck.

Sengoku did; it was just luck that he was alive right now, and not dead by Yukimura's or his own comrades' sword. It was luck that Sanada was able to move when he did, when he saved Sengoku's life.

But Sengoku also believed in making his _own_ luck; if he wasn't a good healer, if he didn't heal Yukimura and Sanada even though they were the enemy, if he hadn't wanted to live so badly…

'_Luck,_' Sengoku knew, _'was something that one had to create for oneself._'

After all, it wasn't _just_ luck that had Sanada-taichou directly in Atobe-sama's line of sight when the latter awoke, was it?

The window was placed there for a reason.

--

"Kirihara Akaya reporting in, Yukimura-dono, Sanada-taichou, Yanagi-sama, sirs." Akaya really, really hated kneeling in front of the Troika like this. It made him feel small and insignificant, which was probably the point. It didn't mean that he had to _like_ it, though.

"At ease," Yukimura said.

Akaya unfolded his legs and sat down, cross-legged, on the floor. Sanada-taichou gave him a raised eyebrow that Akaya ignored when Yukimura-dono didn't say anything.

"The Hyoutei palaces were the only things that were burnt. I guess Seigaku just didn't like their colour or something," he shrugged, grinning slightly.

Anyway," he hastily continued when Sanada opened his mouth, probably to lecture him. "There are rebel factions in Hyoutei right now. Most of them swear to avenge Atobe-san's or Sakaki-daimyo-sama's deaths, or both. I didn't really stay very long. I guess they recognised me. Some of them blame Rikkai for what happened because we didn't help, even though there's an alliance. How the hell were we to know? And it's not as if Sakaki's pride would allow for it…"

"Akaya!"

He blinked. "Um?"

Sanada sighed impatiently, "Keep your personal opinions _out_ of your reports, alright?"

"Yes sir," Akaya nodded. "Can I continue with my report now?"

"And no impertinence either."

Sighing, Akaya ran a hand through his hair. He grimaced when soot came off, falling onto the previously spotlessly clean floor. He really should have taken a bath before reporting in; Hyoutei was incredibly dirty and he was sure that he smelled of smoke, but Yukimura-dono had asked to see him the moment he had stepped through the front gates, so it wasn't like it was _his_ fault that he was dirtying the floors…

"Akaya?" Yanagi-sama's voice broke his reverie. He sounded rather amused, and Akaya blushed.

"Ah! Sorry!" He bowed quickly towards the three, biting his lip. "I'll clean up the mess on the floor later."

"The servants will take care of it," Yukimura smiled slightly. "But that is of little consequences right now. Continue with your report."

"Yes sir," Akaya nodded, feeling chastised even though Yukimura hadn't scolded him. Not exactly, anyway. "Seigaku soldiers are putting down most of the resistance, and I heard a few of them say that Seigaku's General Tezuka-san was gravely injured by Atobe-san. Atobe-san won in the duel they had. Most of the soldiers think that Atobe-san cheated by aiming for Tezuka-san's shoulder, though." He rubbed a finger across upper lip, remembering something. "Speaking of which… how's Atobe-san?"

"He's fine. Sengoku has just reported that he had awakened and is sleeping normally now." Yanagi said just as Sanada opened his mouth to answer.

Akaya grinned, "That's good then. Now Sanada-taichou won't be wearing the floors out with his pacing any more."

Sanada sighed and crossed his arms, visibly frustrated. "Would you _stop_ going off-topic, Akaya? And Renji, don't encourage him."

"But it is rather amusing to tease you," Yanagi pointed out, hiding a smile behind his teacup.

"What, pray tell, is so amusing about _teasing_ me?"

"For one, you turn an interesting shade of red when teased, especially when the topic is Atobe. The colour reminds of one of Seiichi's more elaborate kimonos. It's quite a fetching colour." Yanagi was _definitely _smiling now. The teacup wasn't hiding anything.

Sanada growled, brows furrowing, "I do _not_ blush."

"Not normally, no," Yanagi said, "You blush whenever the relationship between Atobe and yourself is mentioned. Such as right now, actually. Would you like a mirror?"

Before Sanada could retort. Yukimura held up a hand. He was chuckling softly, "Now, stop this you two. It is not healthy for Akaya. And Akaya, 'at ease' does mean that you can laugh if you want to."

"Yes…" Akaya's lips twitched, "Yes sir… Please, um, excuse me…"

He broke out into a fit of giggles, slapping a hand over his mouth. Rather than muffling the sounds, however, the effect was amplified even more. He took a deep breath, calming himself slightly, before speaking,

"Your _face_, taichou! It really _did_ look like Yukimura-dono's kimono! The one with the ravens embroidered on the hem… I remember that kimono and Yanagi-sama's right. Your face is _exactly_ that colour!" He dissolved into giggles again.

Sanada mock-glared, lips twitching even as he pressed the back of his hand to his face. "Renji, you are a bad influence."

"I know," the strategist sipped his tea serenely.

Yukimura threw his head back and laughed, long and loud and rich, "Ah, _do_ stop teasing Genichirou, Renji! You are going to kill Akaya with laughter at this rate."

Akaya punctuated that statement with yet another fit of giggles even as he gasped for breath, "Not… not helping, Yukimura-dono!"

"Enough," Sanada said, shaking his head, eyes suddenly stern. "Get on with your report, Akaya."

Akaya sat up straighter, coughing rapidly to disguise the few stray giggles remaining. "Um… As I was saying, most of Seigaku's opinion was that Atobe-san had cheated to win. There's also around twenty or so soldiers killed by the rebel factions for 'slandering Atobe-sama's name'. Hyoutei's in a complete mess right now."

"What about Seigaku?" Yukimura asked.

"Well, Tezuka-san will probably be out of commission for at least half a year. Inui and Kaidoh were injured by Ohtori and Shishido," here, Akaya snuck a glance at Yanagi, who only blinked at the name. "Their injuries are light, though. And Seigaku, apparently, has this really strong sixteen-year-old whose father is said to be Echizen Nanjiroh, the legendary ronin."

"I will not be surprised if that is true. Echizen Nanjiroh, though a ronin, has always had a sort of loyalty towards Seigaku. That he would send his son there isn't completely out of character for him." Yanagi said.

"I agree," Yukimura nodded. "Continue, Akaya."

"They're going to build a new palace over what they had burnt down. After they had gotten one of the Shinto mikos to bless the place, that is. Anyway, a few people are complaining that they're disrespecting the dead by doing that, but the location of the old Hyoutei palaces _is_ the best and the most strategic. It is smack in the middle of the city, and the daimyo can keep an eye on everyone, especially the rebel factions."

"You are right," Yukimura said, and then he gestured towards Sanada. "Genichirou, please call the others back to the manor. We need to formulate a defence strategy. Seigaku will definitely be going after Rikkaidai next."

Sanada stood, nodding, and bowed shallowly to Yukimura before leaving.

"Akaya, you did well," his customary smile widened. "Now go take a bath. Genichirou will take at least an hour half to gather everyone back here."

Akaya nodded, relieved, as he stood. Flakes of ash fell from his hair and dropped onto the floor as he bowed low before exiting the room, heading for the bath house.

He stripped upon reaching, handing his dirty clothes to a nearby servant before jumping straight into the welcoming hot water, sighing happily.

'_One of the perks,_' he thought as he duck under the water to wash his hair, '_of being Sanada-taichou's student is the baths. The servants have known me for twelve years, so I always have a bath waiting for me whenever I come back to the mansion after an assignment. Life is _good'

And to think: twelve years ago, he was a nameless street brat in the dirt-poor streets of Rikkaidai. Now, Akaya wasn't sure if any part of Rikkai could be call 'poor' any more, but he was _very_ sure that no one needed to steal for a living any more. Everything had changed, and almost all the changes were for the better rather than the worse ever since Yukimura-dono first came to power, thirteen years ago.

Kirihara Akaya was six years old when he first met Yukimura Seiichi.

--

Akaya, dressed in the rags he had filched from a merchant three days before, sat down in the middle of the road and began to cry as loudly as he could. He sniffed, large brown eyes filling up with tears even as he spied a large, richly decorated carriage coming up the road towards him.

Encouraged, Akaya wailed even louder, his childish voice shrilling with all its might. He waved his arms wildly in the air and kicked futilely at the ground, sending dirt and dust everywhere.

The carriage stopped, and an attendant rushed to open the curtains on the right side of the carriage.

Akaya grinned inwardly when he saw the man exiting. He was wearing a plain, unembroidered kimono, but even Akaya's untrained eyes could recognise quality silk when he saw it. Best of all, the man was unarmed and there was a rather large money pouch at his side that jingled merrily as the man walked towards him.

He was in luck today.

Akaya waited patiently for the man to come to him, lips trembling as tears gathered in his eyes again. He opened his mouth to wail, but stopped when a pair of hands picked him up and he came face to face with his next 'client'.

Akaya was really, _really_ lucky today. This one was rich, definitely; his face and hands were pale, clean and smooth, and Akaya could see a plain gold chain resting on his neck and feel the gold ring on the man's left hand, on his index finger. He knew better than to show his joy, though.

"What's wrong?" The man asked, his voice soft, cultured. His face was kind, and, in that moment, Akaya thought he had the guy pegged

'_Pro'bly some rich man's son, a scholar most likely. Don't look like he can hold a sword without dropping it on his own foot._'

He sniffled again, "'m lost… can't find mama." He tugged on the man's sleeve slightly, "Big brother help?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see a few servants wrinkle their noses and shook their heads at his way of speaking, but Akaya couldn't bring himself to care about what they think of him. He bit his lip and pouted anyway.

The man smiled, kind and benevolent, and Akaya's heart jumped with joy even as a shiver ran down his spine. Why should he be afraid? This weakling-scholar-man couldn't hurt him, _and_ he looked rich as well.

"What's your name, little one? I'll help you find your mother, alright?"

Akaya nodded enthusiastically, sticking a thumb and suckling on it. He saw one of the servants shiver in disgust and managed stopped himself from sticking his tongue out at the idiot. He should be well-behaved; the rich one probably didn't like rude kids.

"Akaya-chan," he paused, and then shook his head frantically, blinking. "Nuh-uh. Mama says I should say 'Kirihara Akaya', but that's too long and she always calls me Akaya-chan 'nyway…"

The man smiled, showing off a set of clean, white teeth. Akaya stared in fascination. Wow, this one is rich enough to keep his teeth in good condition. Weird. It's lucky for Akaya, yes, but it's still weird.

"I'll call you Akaya-kun, then?" He didn't wait for an answer and chose to continue without a pause. "Well, Akaya-kun, what does your mother look like? I have to know to find her for you."

Akaya shook her head. "I know where mama is, but I can't get t' her and 'm scared."

"Oh?" The man raised an eyebrow. "Can you take me to where she is, then? I'll get her for you."

Akaya nodded vigorously. "Mmhmm! You have t' put me down, though."

"Of course." Akaya felt himself being slowly set down, and saw his chance.

He reached a hand out and snatched the money pouch from the man's waist, breaking the string holding the two together. He turned away and tried to run away as fast as his legs let him, not looking back.

However, he didn't manage to reach the nearest alleyway when he felt himself being lifted up again, legs spinning futilely in the air.

"Lemme go!"

"Interesting," he heard a familiar voice said, sounding almost amused.

'_How… how did he move so fast?!_'

The 'scholar' was holding him up by the back of his rag-shirt, standing directly in front of him and blocking Akaya's escape route: the alleyway. For the first time since he first saw the man, he felt afraid. Was he going to be hit again?

"How dare you!" A red-faced servant raised a hand against him, looking furious. It was the same servant who had looked at him in disgust just now, so Akaya felt justified enough to stick his tongue out at him, squinting his eyes in a mockery of the servant's small eyes,

"Why you little brat!" Akaya saw the hand coming down towards him, and he squeezed his eyes shut. It would be over in less than a second.

"Enough. I will not have you abuse this child." The man's voice sounded, and Akaya's eyes flew open in shock.

'_What?_'

"But Yukimura-sama, this worthless urchin tried to…"

'_Hey! 'm not worthless!_' Akaya wanted very badly to kick at the rude, stupid servant, but 'Yukimura-sama's' hand held firm. '_Wait… Yukimura… where have I heard that name 'fore?_"

"I daresay that this _child_ is not worthless. He is rather clever, using a plot like this. I am to blame as well, I should be more cautious."

'_What the _fuck'

The servant backed down, bowing towards Yukimura even as he glared at Akaya. The boy glared back, unafraid, which seemed to enrage the servant even more.

"I hope you are grateful, you dirty street brat, that the _daimyo's son_ has decided to spare your worthless life."

Akaya blinked, "The daimyo's… Cheh, so what? I 'ate the daimyo anyway. 's his fault that I 'ave t' steal. Stupid wars took papa away and took the house away, and then mama killed 'erself 'cause she got disgraced or something like that. Was gross. Why should I care that the daimyo's son decides that he didn't want t' dirty his hands on my street trash blood?"

He barely flinched when he was slapped; he wouldn't have moved at all except for the pain in his neck when his head snapped to the right. The servant was trembling in fury, hand raised to slap him again when 'the daimyo's son' said,

"Stop."

Akaya blinked; was the man stupid?

"While I appreciate you defending me, Nitobe, I cannot condone violence against a child who didn't know better."

"But Yukimura-sama –"

Yukimura shook his head, voice suddenly authoritative. "Enough is enough. I believe you have punished Akaya-kun enough. That remark warrants a slap, and _nothing more_."

Nitobe backed down.

Blinking rapidly, Akaya tried to recover from his shock. The man _wasn't_ going to order him killed for badmouthing him _and_ his father? Maybe he was right, after all: The man was stupid. Fast, but stupid.

"Akaya-kun, will you care to cater to my whims?"

"Eh?" Akaya felt that he had been blinking in confusion quite a lot lately.

"If I treat you to a full meal, give you a bath and new clothes, will you promise not to steal again?" Yukimura's smile was gentle and benevolent again, but Akaya trusted his instincts, and all of his instincts were screaming '_Don't lie to him! He'll know!_'

"Nuh-uh."

He heard Nitobe sputter beside him, but his attention was riveted on Yukimura.

"And why not?"

"'cause I don't like lying. See, 's just one meal and one set of clothes. If I sell the clothes I can buy enough food t' last me a few days 'fore I haveta steal again. No one will hire a kid or 'ave money to feed one, 'round 'ere. I haveta eat, and one meal won't last me forever. Plus baths are icky and they'll kill you."

Yukimura laughed, a sound so rich that Akaya was convinced that it was worth more than he was. It was kind of unfair, but he didn't like dwelling on that. Besides, the man was talking again.

"You are a very clever child, Akaya-kun. How old are you?" He didn't try to correct Akaya on the part about the bath, and for that he was grateful. Baths _killed_ people. So much water in one place surely wasn't healthy.

"Six, I think. Mama died two 'ears ago, and I was four then. I can count little numbers like that with my fingers." He showed him, wiggling said fingers in Yukimura's face.

"I like you, Akaya-kun. Tell you what: you can come to my manor right now for a meal and new clothes, and a bath if you want to. I don't need you to promise me anything, but I want you to talk to someone for me."

"Will she ask questions?"

"Yes, probably, but you don't have to answer them if you don't want to. How about it?"

Akaya shrugged as much as he could, still help up by one hand. He wondered if Yukimura's hand had gotten tired yet, but probably not; he didn't weigh much.

"Sure, but you haveta let me down first, though. I promise I won't run."

Yukimura nodded, letting him go suddenly. Akaya barely had time to gasp before instinct took over; he folded his legs towards his chest, landing on his feet. He pitched forward slightly, hands smacking loudly on the ground as he fought to keep his balance. Slowly he stood up, staggering slightly.

"Yukimura-sama, are you sure…" Nitobe really had no sense of subtlety. He would be killed within the day if he ever lived on the streets like Akaya did.

"Are you _questioning_ me, Nitobe?"

"Of-Of course not, Yukimura-sama!" The servant's voice faltered and he bowed hurriedly. Akaya pretended to be fascinated by Yukimura's kimono; it was none of his business, and he didn't like poking his nose where it didn't belong. He liked his nose to remain on his face.

"Good," Yukimura turned towards him, and Akaya could feel his eyes on the back of his neck. "Shall we go then, Akaya-kun?" He didn't wait for an answer and started walking back towards where the carriage was waiting.

Akaya trotted after him as Nitobe hurried forward and pulled open the curtains for them, trying to glare Akaya into submission as the boy passed. Needless to say, it didn't work; he ignored the servant completely.

The ride back to the manor was silent. Akaya busied himself by gaping at the sights they passed through. He had never been out of that particular dirty part of Rikkai before, and the fact that he was inside a _carriage_ instead of walking was almost overwhelming. He barely resisted himself from shouting incoherently and pointing at everything he saw. Success was only possible because he could feel Yukimura's gaze on him throughout the whole ride.

He couldn't understand it. What could be so interesting about _him_? He was just a street kid, after all.

--

"You lied. 'Tis no manor. 'Tis a fucking _palace_. Or castle. Whatever. I've seen manors, mister, and this isn't one."

Akaya stared at the building, no, _buildings_ in front of him. He was very sure that he had never seen anything _this_ big. Sure, there were mountains, but he didn't live anywhere near one and they were always kind of puny when looked at from far away.

But this was completely different.

The manor (hah!) seemed to be made purely of stone and wood and maybe paper. There were plants _everywhere_; between the walkways, on the sides of the paths, and even inside the manor itself. Akaya wondered how much water these plants need, and felt almost angry at the sheer _waste_.

Yukimura, standing beside him and far too tall, laughed. "Do you like it?"

He walked past Akaya, kneeling down to press two fingers against the leaf of the nearest plant. "Every plant here has a use as herbs. The manor sends at least a cart of herbs every month to every approved healer in the city." He smiled, stroking the plant's stem gently. "This one's a _gennoshouko_. It's mostly for people who had eaten bad food, has a bad stomach, or complains of stomach pain and/or bleeding… well, you get the idea."

'_Oh._'

Akaya now felt extremely stupid. No wonder the amount of sick people he had seen this year was so little, and he hadn't heard of _any_ cases of someone dying because of an quack doctor this past year. This must be why.

"It can't stand on its own," Yukimura continued, pointing to the plant's stem, which was wrapped around a thin, hollowed piece of wood. "See? It needs this wood as a support, or else it'll just creep along and destroy the flooring as well as take up space."

"Aah…" Akaya blinked. Well, that _was_ good information if he wanted to steal a plant, but why was Yukimura telling _him_ this?

"I'm probably boring you," Yukimura said, standing up and smoothing down the cloth of his kimono. "Follow me, Akaya-kun."

Akaya obeyed, jogging slightly to keep up with Yukimura's long strides. The man _must_ have noticed, yet he didn't seem to slow down or seem to want to. Akaya didn't really mind either way; he was fast enough to escape samurai when he tried, so keeping up with a daimyo's son wasn't any trouble, especially when said daimyo's son was only walking.

The sound of a door sliding open made him look up even as Yukimura spoke,

"We're here."

Akaya gaped. Laid out on a table, directly in his line of sight, were plates upon plates of food. He had never seen foods like these before, but he knew they would be delicious. The _smells_ told him as much. (Besides, he didn't think anyone would dare to serve Yukimura bad food. There were probably rules about stuff like that.)

"Yukimura, who is this?"

Jerking his head up at the very _male_ voice, Akaya gaped again. Seated behind the heavenly table of food was a man dressed in a plain white yukata, katana and polishing stone in his hands. Akaya could see a second, identical katana lying beside him, and he could also see the man's frown. He spoke before thinking (again),

"Eh? I thought you were taking me t' see your _wife_?"

The stranger blinked, and Yukimura burst out laughing.

"No, no," Yukimura chuckled, a hand held over his mouth. "This is Sanada Genichirou, the General's student and successor. He is also my best friend." He shook his head, still laughing, "I have no wife."

"You are far too young for a wife anyway, being fifteen." Sanada said, shrugging. He seemed to be completely unfazed by Akaya's question or presence after the first shock.

"True, though many will say otherwise."

"Wait," Akaya cut in, feeling confused. "If you're not taking me t' your wife, then why 'm I _here_?" He decided _not_ to think about Yukimura's age. It's not possible that the _man_ was only nine years older than he was. Completely impossible.

"Sit down, Akaya-kun, and I'll explain. You can eat once you're seated."

He sat, bowing hastily to the two older men before grabbing a pair of chopsticks and started to shovel food into his mouth. It was rude, he knew, but hey, he _did_ bow to them first and he was a street kid. They couldn't expect very much from him.

Akaya didn't remember much about what happened during the meal. He knew a lot of questions were asked, but he couldn't remember them, nor could he remember his answers. He blamed the food; he was too busy eating to _think_ about what he was saying, which was what he suspected Yukimura wanted. Of course, he didn't know it then. That was why Yukimura's sudden proclamation shocked him so much that he had choked on his mouthful of rice and fish.

"You'll be living with us now, Akaya."

He sputtered, nearly spraying precious food all over the table. "Wait-what?"

"You'll be living in this mansion from now on," Yukimura explained calmly while Akaya stared at him, mouth open and food temporarily forgotten. "We'll teach you the necessary things you'll need in order to live here, and you'll never have to worry about food or clothes or a roof over your head. And close your mouth, Akaya-kun, that's disgusting."

Akaya obeyed, swallowing even as he glared suspiciously at the two men. "What's the catch?"

"The 'catch' is that," Sanada answered, picking up one of his katanas and holding it towards the light. "Once the current General dies, and he will, soon, I will be taking his place. And Yukimura will be daimyo by the end of this year at the very most. You will start training with me as my student then. I am a harsh and demanding teacher."

"What kind of training?"

"Military strategists. Etiquette necessary for a General. The Samurai way of life and its codes. Calligraphy. Reading. Writing. Literature and poetry. And of course, most importantly," Sanada swung his sword, and Akaya barely managed to duck to not be decapitated.

"Kendo."

A few strands of Akaya's hair dropped to the floor. He didn't feel the blade touch him. There wasn't even _wind_!

"You can teach me how to do _that_?" He almost demanded, voice hushed with awe.

"Yes, and more."

"More?"

"I can teach you how to disarm an opponent in less than seven steps. I can teach you how to lead an army with nothing but a pair of swords and your mind. I can teach you how to fight even when you don't have a weapon with you." Sanada's voice was soft, almost hypnotic in its quality, and Akaya was already drowning in the mental images of glory that those words had birthed in his six-year-old mind.

"You have to decide _now_, Akaya-kun," Yukimura said quietly. "Would you rather go back to those dirty streets where you have to steal just to feed and clothe yourself and everyone looks down on you just because of your status? Or would you rather stay here and earn the respect of the people and never having to worry about food, water, clothes and shelter again?"

Akaya bit his lip, staring down towards his empty rice bowl. It was a sudden offer, and he didn't know if he could fully trust these two. But it _did_ sound so attractive, and he was tired of being considered 'worthless' simply because of what his _parents_ had done.

He looked them both in the eye, clenching his small fists and feeling smaller and bigger at the same time.

"I'll stay."

--

'_Of course, that hadn't been the end of it. Most of the servants objected to me being here, but then the daimyo died a week later and Yukimura-dono took over officially with no problems. He had already been running the place for a year anyway. Then the General died too, and Sanada-taichou stepped up. No one dared to complain after that, especially not after my first battle. That was, what? Five years ago? Man, I sure _showed_ them, then…_'

Akaya smiled dreamily as he lifted himself from the tub. The water was now sooty black with pieces of grey ash floating on top of it. He wrinkled his nose at the sight.

'_Eww._'

He would have considered this acceptable as bathing water twelve years ago. He was really becoming a rich snob, wasn't he? Akaya shook his head, laughing quietly at himself. Well, if he could still remember being a street brat, so he probably wasn't at that stage. Not yet, anyway.

"Kirihara-san?" A voice came from outside the door, and Akaya nearly jumped out of his skin. Stupid servants and their noiseless footsteps. "Yukimura-dono called for you. Niou-san and Yagyuu-sama have just arrived. Please hurry to the meeting room."

"Ah, yes. Thanks!" He called back, dressing hurriedly. Pulling his obi tight, he picked up his katana and wakazashi and finger-combed his hair. "I'm coming!"

It seemed that dwelling on the past had taken up more time than he had anticipated.

'_Fuck, I have to hurry. Yukimura-dono hates waiting for people and Sanada-taichou despises tardiness._' He ran past the gardens, smiling slightly at the feel of the wind in his still-wet hair.

He would leave any more musings for another time, for, now, he had a meeting to attend.

_End Part 02: Rikkaidai_


	3. Tachibana's Folly

**Warriors and Generals - Part Three: Tachibana's Folly**

**Characters (in order of appearance): **Niou, Yagyuu, Fuji, Yukimura, Yanagi, Sanada, Marui, Tachibana, Ibu  
**Pairings: **Niou/Yagyuu, Marui/Kirihara implied, Sanada/Atobe mentioned  
**Rating: **PG-13  
**Words:** 7042  
**Summary: **In which Niou makes his appearance, and his history is revealed. Yagyuu is devious and Marui is rather helpful. Fudomine appears, if just for a moment.

'_Fuji Syuusuke,_' Niou Masaharu thought, '_is a pretty competent spy._'

For one, he didn't try to listen through the door like most amateurs did. Instead, he chose the ceiling.

It was most unfortunate for Fuji, and most fortuitous for Rikkai, that Niou was a spy as well. Trick like these were easy to spot if one knew that they were there, like he did.

Most unfortunate for Fuji indeed.

Niou smirked, eyes flicking towards the ceiling for a mere moment. Yukimura caught his look and turned to Yanagi, whispering to him. The latter nodded to Yukimura, but his gaze was on Niou as he did. Everyone would know of Fuji's presence before the meeting starts; Yanagi would make sure of it.

Niou felt a hand brush his elbow seconds before Yagyuu spoke,

"It seems that our intrepid little spy is at work again. How _admirable_." He sounded amused. "Perhaps you might be usurped of your prestigious position, Masaharu."

Niou snorted quietly, knowing better than to take Yagyuu seriously when he was in a playful mood, "He still has a long way to go if he wants to _try_. For one, he has to find a Yagyuu, and you're _mine_."

Yagyuu's hand slipped into his own, squeezing briefly.

"And you're mine," he said, tone fiercely possessive.

Laughing quietly, Niou's lips twitched and he tried not to grin foolishly.

"Glad that we agree on that, hmm?"

"Of course."

Yagyuu smiled, edges sharp, and Niou grinned back.

He remembered the first time he had met Yagyuu Hiroshi, three years ago. In fact, he remembered _all_ of their first times.

He had a good memory for the important things.

--

Niou Masaharu, Fudomine's spy, bowed to Yukimura Seiichi and hid a grimace.

He didn't want to be here.

"I thank you for your generous hospitality, Yukimura-dono. This humble ronin is eternally grateful."

Yukimura smiled slightly and waved a hand, "Do dispense with ceremony, Niou-kun. Renji," he turned towards the man Niou knew to be Rikkaidai's infamous strategist. "Summon Hiroshi here for me, would you?"

Yanagi nodded and left the room without a word. Yukimura turned his gaze back to Niou, who nearly gasped at the sharp intelligence he found in those dark eyes.

'_Does he suspect…_'

"One of my men will show you around the manor, Niou-kun. If you have any questions, feel free to ask him them."

"I understand, Yukimura-dono. Thank you very much," he bowed again. He had expected this; it was actually more convenient for him – he could grill this 'guide' of his for information while pretending to be simply curious.

Just then, the sliding door opened.

"Yagyuu Hiroshi reporting, Yukimura-dono. You have called for me?" a low, silky voice spoke from just outside the door. It appeared that the 'guide' had arrived.

"Yes. I have a task for you. Come on in."

Niou lifted his head; curious to see who the poor sap that Yukimura had stuck on him looked like.

His eyes widened, and he suddenly found that his breath had choked in his throat, when the 'poor sap' ("Yagyuu Hiroshi", wasn't it?) stepped into the room.

Brown hair, the colour of well-weathered wood, reaching just the above of his haori. Black eyes that reminded Niou of burnt ceremonial paper. A full mouth, as plush as a woman's and almost as pink as sakura petals. A strong jaw, angular but not square. A slim, pale neck that geisha would kill to have. Muscled arms peeking from his wide sleeves, also pale. He was half a hand's width taller than Niou, and just as slender.

He was the most beautiful man he had _ever_ seen (though that, honestly, didn't say much. Niou hadn't many chances to see many beautiful people, men or women alike, in his life. Living in Fudomine tended to do that to a person).

Yagyuu turned, and looked straight into Niou's eyes.

Well.

And here he was thinking that _Yukimura's_ gaze was sharp. He was so very, very wrong.

Perhaps this assignment would be more difficult than he initially thought (and he thought it to be hard enough already!).

--

They strolled around one of Yukimura's many gardens in silence, watching the bees and butterflies as they flitted from flower to flower and sipping nectar.

Niou was deathly bored, but he didn't speak. It was always better to let the other person get more comfortable before trying to get the information he needed. This was no exception.

Niou was a spy, and a damned good one at that, if you asked him. He wasn't about to go spilling his secrets to the first beautiful and intelligent person he came across. That would be unprofessional.

"Niou-kun," Yagyuu said softly. "Why did you choose to hide out here, in Rikkaidai? Hyoutei would've been a safer place; it's farther away from Seigaku, and it is also larger in size."

He had spun a tale on how he was being chased by Seigaku's soldiers for accidentally injuring one of their top samurai in an informal duel, and how he needed a place of refuge until things had calmed down and he could return home without being persecuted.

Yukimura had, it seemed, bought his story and invited him to stay at the manor. Niou suspected that it was partly because of his skill with the daggers and katana, though.

Those lessons with Tachibana _were_ of some use, after all. For one, it was rather difficult to try to act as a ronin when one didn't even know how to fully wield a katana.

"I _have_ considered Hyoutei," he lied fluidly. "But Rikkai is the better choice. It's power and influence is greater, also…" he trailed off, deliberately not meeting Yagyuu's eyes.

"Also?" his companion prompted, cocking his head to the side.

Niou shrugged stiffly, "I do not mean any offence to Hyoutei, nor do I mean any to Rikkai, but I believe that Yukimura-dono is, by far, more lax in his ways. I was right in thinking that I would be accepted here."

"None taken, though I cannot say the same for sure for Hyoutei," Yagyuu said, smiling slightly. "Yukimura-dono is a great believer of judging a man mostly by his abilities and only partly by his character traits."

Niou took a mental note on that. Yukimura was partly famous because of his 'eccentric' samurai, after all, Yagyuu not being an exception. This must be the reason.

"That is certainly an admirable stand to take," he kept his tone neutral. "I have heard of many who speaks ill of him because of his ways, however."

"Yukimura-dono is a man ahead of the era. It is unsurprising that traditionalists, so afraid of change, are jealous of his success," Yagyuu sounded vicious and heated. He, quite obviously, felt strongly about this.

"There is no harm in playing safe and sticking to tried and true methods, Yagyuu," Niou was surprised, and more than slightly amused, by his companion's sudden passion.

"Yes, but if the new methods are more successful than the old, who are the stiff-necked conservatives to criticise? People, especially leaders and samurai, should not be stuck in a rut and refuse to advance. Is not 'being traditionalist' just an excuse to not have to think?" Yagyuu had stopped walking mid-rant and was now leaning against a tree, gesturing rather wildly with his eyes. His black eyes grew impossibly darker as he spoke.

Well. He was obviously passionate in addition to being beautiful and intelligent. Niou was starting to like him more and more already.

He gave a crooked smile, "You have no need to try to convince me, Yagyuu. Personally, I have certain distaste towards overly-conservative leaders as well."

Yagyuu laughed softly, "I'm glad that you agree, Niou-kun. I was afraid that I have alienated you with my overly opinionated views."

"You haven't," Niou said simply, for nothing more needed to be said.

"I am greatly relieved to hear that," Yagyuu replied.

They shared a small smile. Niou's was, for the first time in that day completely unguarded and unpremeditated.

Well. That was certainly unexpected.

-

Niou had been staying in Yukimura's manor, seeing and speaking to Yagyuu and the rest of the inhabitants for five months when the news came:

Fudomine had been conquered by Seigaku.

There were no casualties in Fudomine's Seven, nor had Seigaku's best samurais been killed, the messenger reported. There was a good chance, he continued, that Tachibana might still have most of the power and control over his men. They seemed to have impressed Tezuka greatly.

To say that Niou was angry was an understatement.

He was _furious_.

'_So that bastard can't keep his promise… Well, what did your glorious honour code do for you, huh? You couldn't' even kill the fucking enemy! Bastard!_'

The wooden chopsticks in his hands snap into two with a sharp 'crack'. His head jerked up, and he stared at the broken pieces of wood blankly. What had just happened?"

"Masaharu?" Yagyuu's voice came from his right, concern very evident.

Niou closed his eyes and placed the four pieces carefully on the table, not meeting anyone's gaze, not even Yagyuu's. He took a few deep breaths before opening his eyes again, forcing a sheepish smile. It was surprisingly difficult.

"Ah, I'm so sorry! I must have used too much force without thinking. May I ask for another pair?"

He could feel Yagyuu's piercing stare on his right shoulder, but he didn't turn. Instead, he smiled emptily at the servant who brought him the new pair of chopsticks and started to eat. All the while, he studiously ignored everyone's stares and looks. Eventually, the soft conversations resumed, his mistake brushed off like a careless accident.

But Yagyuu eyes stayed fixed on him all throughout the meal, even when Yukimura had decided Niou could do whatever he wished to.

"Masaharu," Yagyuu said, grabbing his elbow just as he was about to escape the dining hall.

"What is it, Hiroshi?" He didn't meet his eyes.

"Something's been on your mind ever since the messenger had arrived. Do you want to talk about it?" his tone implied that Niou didn't have a choice, and he was only asking for courtesy's sake.

Niou sighed, "If you promise not to speak of it to anyone. Including Yukimura."

Yagyuu's eyebrow rose, silently question both the lack of honorifics and Niou's request.

"I promise, Masaharu."

"Come, then. We need somewhere more private than this, and I know just the place."

-

"This is the garden I brought you to during your first day here," Yagyuu stated, looking curiously at Niou.

"Yeah," he shrugged, seating himself beneath a particularly large birch tree. He patted the slightly wet grass beside him, indicating that Yagyuu should sit.

Yagyuu sat, waiting.

Niou knew that if he spoke now, he wouldn't be able to stop. He would expose himself as a spy. But that didn't matter now, did it?

Fudomine had fallen to Seigaku despite Tachibana's promise that they would become one of the strongest cities. Tachibana's faith wasn't enough, and now Niou wasn't needed at Rikkaidai any more.

He was tired of this charade as well; all the lies he told people that he had came to like far more than his 'comrades' back at Fudomine. He didn't want to _act _any more. It was far too tiring, and he had been doing it for so long that he was afraid that his lies had started to contradict each other. There was no end in sight, and he just want to tell the truth, for once.

There was a good chance that he would be killed for being a spy, so good that he couldn't see a way out of that fate.

How ironic, considering that he was Fudomine's best spy, infamous to certain people for being able to slip out of any sticky situation without any trouble.

Niou might be able to deceive the devil, as Kamio had said, once, but he would never be able to deceive _himself_. He was going to die, and he knew that fact as well as he knew the weight of his swords on his hip and his daggers in his sleeves.

Oh well. At least, this way, he would be killed by someone he respected and liked.

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, leaning back against the tree. He opened his eyes and stared up to the night sky.

"I lied, Hiroshi, I lied about a great deal," he started.

Yagyuu opened his mouth as if he wanted to interrupt, and Niou held up a hand. "No, don't speak until I'm done. Then you can do whatever you wish to me."

"I'm not a ronin on a run from Seigaku. I'm not a ronin, period. Have you ever heard of the Fudomine Eight? No, of course you haven't. There is no such thing, not to most of the world. Tachibana made sure of that."

"I'm the eighth member of the Fudomine Seven; the one whom no one knows of, whom no one knows _existed_. Tachibana called me the 'secret member', and I always hated him for it. It makes me sound like one of Fudomine's dirty little secrets.

"I'm the best spy they have. Yes, Hiroshi, you heard correctly: _spy_. They usually send me on short assignments to certain places to gather information. A week, at the very most. This one's the longest one I've ever had, and it's not even over yet. They probably sent me here and hope that I'll be found out and you will kill me. It absolves them of guilt this way.

"See, I've always been the black spot in Tachibana's record. Kind of like the mole in the middle of his forehead, you know? I'm rebellious, I question his orders, I hate working with the others as a team, and I don't worship him as the others do. In fact, I often think that he's really fucking stupid.

"Don't give me that face. I'm not as refined as I usually act. You can't be that refined if you grow up in Fudomine. Most of us are street trash. Except Tachibana, of course.

"Anyway, back on topic… Tachibana's an idiot, in my less-than-humble opinion. He puts too much on morals and honour, and all of the others just follow him like blind dogs. Fucking stupid, I tell you.

"I don't believe any of it, and I keep telling him so. He keeps trying to teach me, but I'm a stubborn bastard. That's why I keep being sent out: he didn't want to deal with me, I think. I can't blame him for that.

"Whenever he starts on his 'honour and morals and the bushido' spiel, I'd interrupt him and ask him what's the _use_ of all that crap when a person's dead. I don't get his obsession with him. I'm a street kid, Hiroshi, and the first thing a street kid learns is how to _survive_. You don't survive long if you play by the rules, because that's just stupidity. And when I tell Tachibana that, he just smiles at me and tell me I'm not a street kid any more. Hah. As if I don't know that. It's annoying as hell when he does that, you know, kind of like trying to convince a tree to move. Annoying, a waste of energy and you don't actually _do_ anything. So I stopped.

"I'm right, aren't I? Despite all of his prattling about honour and morals and whatever-the-fuck-else, Fudomine lost. I bet it's because Seigaku didn't play by the rules and got out a new player or something. The point is that I'm _right_. All that honour stuff is completely useless if it doesn't help you to survive."

Niou sighed, rubbing at his forehead as he finished his speech, exhaling softly. For some reason, he felt oddly light, as if a weight had been lifted off his chest. His throat felt parched, but he supposed that it didn't matter now.

He took off his swords and placed them on the ground, between Hiroshi and himself. Untying an inner sash, he slipped off his haori and placed it on his other side. It's better to have a soft ground to land on when he died.

"Masaharu, what are you doing?" Yagyuu spoke, sounding confused.

"I figured that since you're going to kill me, I might as well make myself ready." Niou shrugged as nonchalantly as he could, and tried not to tremble.

"I'm not going to kill you," Yagyuu said quietly.

Niou blinked, "Oh, so I have to commit seppuku? Okay, but you have to lend me a tanto. I don't have one."

Yagyuu sighed explosively, and Niou blinked again as he reached forward and grabbed his wrists. "No, Masaharu, I don't want you to do that either. You're not going to die."

"Why?" Niou stared at him incredulously. "Did you miss the part where I said I'm a _spy_? I've been sending letters back to Tachibana about Rikkaidai! About your manor, your skills, your armies, about… hell, _everything_! Do you really think that Yukimura will be kind enough spare my life?"

"Yukimura-dono already knows that you're a spy. We _all_ know. You are an awfully unenthusiastic spy, though. You've never tried listening to any of our conferences." Yagyuu smiled a lopsided smile, like he wasn't sure if he should be amused about something or not.

"Too dangerous and it's not worth it. Wait, you said that Yukimura knows? Why am I still alive then? And how did he find out?!" Niou's head was spinning.

"We don't know who you are spying for, and Yukimura likes you. And about that… well, Sanada-taichou has good instincts, and Yanagi-sama had found out that the ronin who had injured Seigaku's samurai had already been caught. They didn't announce it, so you'd probably not know, but Yanagi-sama has his sources."

"Ah," Niou said flatly, blankly, as his mind tried to catch up to the new information. "So, what are you going to do with me?"

"I'm wondering if I can convince you to switch sides," Yagyuu said calmly and released Niou's wrists.

"Switch sides?"

"Spy on Fudomine and Seigaku for us. Give them false information about Rikkaidai when you have to report back. Seigaku's going to be a threat sooner or later, and you, as Fudomine's spy, will have access to things that we definitely don't," Yagyuu explained.

"Basically, you want me to be a double agent." Niou said slowly.

"Yes."

"How can you trust me, though? What if I give you rubbish about Seigaku and Fudomine, and I hand _them_ all the real information I have on Rikkai?" Niou asked, cocking his head to the side.

"If you're going to do that, you wouldn't have asked me that question," Yagyuu pointed out matter-of-factly. "Besides, I trust you."

"You…" Niou's jaw dropped, and he gaped. "Why do you _trust_ me?"

"You could've lied and said 'nothing' when I confronted you earlier. You admitted to being a spy even though you thought you would die for admitting it. You admit that you hate your General and his ideals without me asking. How can I _not_ trust you, Masaharu?" Yagyuu's gaze was even more intense as usual as he smirked at Niou.

"What if I decline?"

Yagyuu sighed, "I really hope you won't, because I would've to kill you if that's the case. I really don't want to. It's been a long time since I've met someone who actually listens to my long-winded rants instead of tuning me out."

Niou laughed, loud chuckles disturbing the still night air, "Fine, I'll do it." He stood, slipping his haori back on and placing his swords back where they belonged, "And Hiroshi, your rants are rather mild compared to the ones I've heard."

Yagyuu lifted an eyebrow, chuckling also, "Oh? And here I thought you listen to them because you _like_ them. I'm wounded."

Niou just laughed harder, "Well they _are_ rather interesting, I suppose."

Shaking his head, Yagyuu smiled slightly, "That's more like it. Shall we go back inside now? We should yell Yukimura-dono of his new double-agent before he goes to bed."

"Yeah, we should," Niou stopped laughing at the half-casual statement, giving a tensed shrug.

"Relax," Yagyuu chided, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I told you he likes you, didn't I?"

"That's why I'm afraid of," Niou muttered, almost soft enough to be inaudible.

Yagyuu, who had the ears of a cat, heard it anyway, and gave a short, amused snort. He didn't say anything, however, for which Niou was grateful.

They walked back inside the manor in a comfortable silence.

-

"Are you willing to pledge your loyalty to me, Niou-kun?" Yukimura said quietly. He didn't need to raise his voice for Niou to feel the utter _command_ behind those words.

He nodded, keeping his eyes fixed onto Rikkaidai's, and, soon, _his_, daimyo.

"Even after you have pledged to Tachibana?"

Niou nearly snorted, catching himself just in time, "Tachibana had never asked for us to pledge to him. He _assumes_ that we will be loyal."

Yukimura laughed, cold and sharp, sending shivers down Niou's spine, "I see. More the fool is he, then. I do not make mistakes like this, Niou-kun. If you pledge your loyalties to me, then you are _mine_ until you die. Are you willing?"

He didn't hesitate, "Yes, Yukimura-dono."

The meticulous, analytical part of his mind knew that _this_ was the real Yukimura Seiichi. _This_ was the man who turned Rikkaidai into the most powerful city currently from a small, rather affluent but powerless city in just over a decade.

He couldn't help but feel admiration and perhaps a little fear. No wonder all of Yukimura's men were deathly loyal to him, if _this_ was what they see daily.

Yukimura was watching him, silently waiting. Niou pulled himself forcefully from his thoughts and met his gaze squarely before kneeling. He removed his katana from his obi and held it up high above his head towards Yukimura. His eyes didn't look away from the other man's.

The daimyo suddenly smiled, dark and full of hidden meanings that Niou didn't try to decipher. He stood, walking towards him, and unsheathed Niou's sword.

Niou let his right hand, his non-dominant hand, drop to his side. Yukimura tilted his head, looking almost curious before he nodded silently. It was acceptance, and Niou almost sighed in relief.

He had been frowned upon too many times to count just because he was left-handed. That was why, partly, he had pretended to be right-handed while in Rikkai. The other reason was that a left-handed was far too conspicuous, and a conspicuous spy was a dead spy.

Yukimura cut a shallow wound on his left arm, just below the wrist. Niou didn't, couldn't, wince, captivated by the sudden fire in Yukimura's eyes. Blood dropped onto the bare floor, staining the wood red.

Yukimura cut his own arm next, and held it up. Niou stood and lifted his own bleeding arm above Yukimura's, letting his blood flow into Yukimura's wound, mingling.

He belonged to Yukimura now, just as his blood had flowed into Yukimura's veins. He was now one of Yukimura's samurai, one who was also his sole double agent.

Oddly enough, he didn't feel any different. There was a mild stinging in his arm, and the stickiness that was blood clotting, but he felt the same, inside.

"Niou Masaharu," Yukimura said in a voice barely loud enough to be heard. "You are now neither more a ronin nor a man of Tachibana Kippei. You are my, Yukimura Seiichi of Rikkaidai's, man. I call, do you heed?"

"I heed," Niou replied. There was no other possible answer.

The ceremony was completed.

A soft clapping came from behind him, and Niou turned. His eyes widened when he saw, all standing in a neat little row, Yukimura's strongest and most trusted samurais.

Sanada Genichirou, the General, standing in the very forefront as always, was watching Niou with appraising eyes. Yanagi Renji, the Strategist, as unreadable as ever. Kirihara Akaya, Sanada's young student, challenging him with a sharp, almost bloodthirsty grin. Marui Bunta, genius close-combat specialist, clapping slowly, eyes fixed on Niou. Kuwahara Washisuke, the 'man with four lungs', watching him almost lazily.

Yagyuu Hiroshi, master of the long sword, smiling at him with an air of pride.

Niou blinked at the sight, and then he almost smiled.

'_That smug bastard._'

Sanada stepped forward towards Yukimura and himself, holding out strips of white bandage. Niou took one and started to wrap them clumsily around his arm, staunching the blood flow.

"You'd better see Sengoku about that, Niou, Seiichi. It won't do for both of you to fall ill due to an unclean wound," Yanagi said quietly and suddenly from beside Niou, who had only repressed his urge to jump in surprise because he had barely heard Yanagi's footsteps.

That man was eerily quiet sometimes.

"Yes, I know, Renji," Yukimura said, sounding half-exasperated. "I'll call him over soon. I still have some work to do. Niou-kun," he turned. "Would you tell Sengoku to come to my room after you have visiting him?" It wasn't a request.

Niou blinked. Well, he supposed that this was his first order.

"Yes, Yukimura-dono."

"You're dismissed, all of you. Renji, Genichirou, stay, please."

The men bowed to him as one and started to leave. Yagyuu didn't, choosing to walk towards Niou.

"Do you mind if I accompany you to the infirmary, Masaharu?"

Damn, and here he was thinking that he could just tell Sengoku of Yukimura's orders and leave. He _hated_ infirmaries.

"Of course not," he said out loud. Bowing again to his new daimyo and the two men he trusted most, Niou left the room with Yagyuu on his heels.

They encountered a little trouble even before they managed to walk three steps down the hallway, however.

"I don't like spies and backstabbers," Marui stated, lounging directly outside the door. His eyes, usually friendly, were knife-sharp. It was almost as if he was daring Niou to say something to defend himself.

Beside him, Yagyuu tensed slightly. Niou didn't speak, just tilting his head to the side and waited for him to continue.

"But since you're on _our_ side…" he trailed off, and his gaze softened. Grinning, he pushed himself away from the wall and turned away, as if he was leaving.

"I'll make an exception this time. Plus, you're a really interesting guy, do you know that?" Marui smirked, looking over his shoulder.

Niou smiled sardonically back, "Thank you for the compliment, Marui-_san_. I'm so glad you approve."

"Bullshit. You don't give a damn. Anyhow, I don't care either way. Better make sure that he won't betray us, eh, Yagyuu?"

Yagyuu smirked, sharper and more dangerous than before, "Masaharu won't betray us, Marui-kun, but do rest assure that I _will_ make sure of that. I always do."

"Good," Marui nodded, and started walking down the hallways, directly opposite of Niou's room. "I don't want to kill both of you."

"It all depends on whether you can or you can't, you realize? Maybe you will be the one killed if you try, Marui-kun." Yagyuu answered quietly, and Niou almost smiled at the comforting weight of Yagyuu's hand landing on his shoulder.

Marui didn't answer, for he was already long out of ear-shot.

--

"Masaharu," Hiroshi said, one day, as they were strolling down the very same garden that Niou had 'confessed his sins' barely a week ago.

"Hm?"

"'You can do whatever you wish to me'… do you still mean it?" Yagyuu had stopped, turning around to face Niou, who blinked.

"Yes, but it all depends on what you want me to do…" he trailed off as Yagyuu shook his head.

"No, no, Masaharu," he smiled slightly. "I believe what you said was 'whatever you wish _to_ you', therefore…"

Yagyuu leaned in, and pressed a quick, chaste kiss on Niou's lips before backing away. He smiled again, and, before Niou could speak or even react, turned and walked away.

Niou blinked, '_What the…_'

Pressing two fingers against his own lips (Yagyuu's lips were warmer than his, somehow), Niou watched Yagyuu walk away, still stunned.

Well.

This was an interesting development.

-

The second kiss was in Niou's room, just before he left for dinner.

The third was in the dojo, just after his match with Yagyuu had concluded (Yagyuu won, but barely).

The fourth was outside the dining room, when Yukimura's footsteps could be heard.

The fifth was when he was in his room, composing his letter to Tachibana.

He was getting _really_ frustrated, and even more annoyed, at this game, now. What was Yagyuu trying to _do_? Kill him through frustration?!

He went to look for Marui.

"That's odd," Marui said through a mouthful of sweetmeats, chewing on them thoughtfully. Niou wrinkled his nose. "Insult my eating habits and I won't help you."

He cleared his expression hurriedly. Marui and he had gotten on rather well after the first confrontation outside Yukimura's room, especially after Niou had caught him watching Kirihara.

Even though Niou hated Marui's eating habits (the man had probably never eaten a meal without something excessively sweet in it) and massive ego (a few invented tricks did not a genius make) and Marui disliked Niou's sneakiness (he enjoyed making him jump by walking without a sound) and overly-developed observation skills (Marui had to protest constantly to Niou that he did _not_ like Kirihara that way, and that time was just a hallucination. Niou begged to differ), they were friends.

Of a sort, anyway.

"What's odd?" Niou asked, tilting his head to the left.

"That Yagyuu would be the one to make the first move. I mean, I always thought _you_ would be the one to," Marui shrugged, waving a piece of sweetmeat around to illustrate his point.

"What?"

"We aren't blind, you know. Half the manor is betting on who'd make the first move. Even Yanagi betted. It's almost as bad as a year ago, with Sanada-taichou and Hyoutei's Atobe-taichou. No one had solved _that_ mystery yet, by the way. Well, Yanagi had, but he's not telling."

"Wait, wait," Niou held up a hand, feeling decidedly confused. "What the _fuck_ are you prattling about? Hiroshi and I aren't like that!"

Marui raised an eyebrow, "Not _yet_, you mean. Everyone knows it's pretty much a foregone conclusion that the two of you will get together. It's just a matter of _when_ and _how_."

"I don't get you. Why would anyone else _think_ that Hiroshi and I are…why are you looking at me like that?!" Niou resisted the urge to wave his arms frantically.

"Wait a minute," Marui stared at him, mouth half-open. "Wait, let me get this right. You don't like Yagyuu-"

"I _do_ like him," Niou interrupted. He was speaking the truth. "Why do you think I spend most of my time here with him?"

"Okay, you like Yagyuu," Marui took a deep breath and shook his head quickly, sending red hair flying around haphazardly in the air. "Do you like him as a good friend, as a comrade, or what?"

Niou blinked, "Of course I like him as a…" he blinked again. "Err…"

"Good friend, comrade, something else," Marui ticked off his fingers, smearing orange-red sauce all over his hands. "Choose one of those three options. Elaborate if you choose 'something else'."

"Err," Niou hesitated. Why was this question so difficult?

'Good friend' and 'comrade' both sounded woefully inadequate when used to describe what Yagyuu was to him. But 'something else' wasn't helpful either. What he felt towards Yagyuu was completely different from what he felt towards, say, Yukimura or even Sanada.

The latter two he respected and admired as his leaders. He respected them for what they had done for Rikkaidai, and he admired their leadership skills. But that was all to it, really.

What he felt towards Yagyuu was completely different from that.

Niou respected him, yes. Yagyuu was an excellent swordsman, and he was intelligent and well-read. But Yagyuu was also a beautiful man, and he could make Niou lower his defences with just a word or a look. No one else could do that.

Marui was waiting for his answer, impatiently tapping his foot with an expectant look on his face.

"So?" he asked.

"I don't know," Niou said slowly. "He is definitely 'something else', but I don't know _what_ and-"

"How did you feel when he kissed you again?" Marui interrupted him.

"It feels good," he struggled with his word choices. "I always feel so frustrated."

"Why?"

"Because I want more than those short kisses," he said, and suddenly, his mouth dropped open and he blinked rapidly as if he just had an epiphany of a shock.

"There you go," Marui said with an easy shrug. "Your answer."

"Oh."

_Oh_.

Niou stood, bowing quickly to Marui before heading towards the door, "Thanks! You're a great help! For once!"

"Is that how you speak to your genius?!" Marui called back, sounding offended and amused at the same time.

"I see no genius here!" Niou laughed before quickening his steps, half-running towards Yagyuu's room.

Back in the room that Niou had just left, Marui chuckled softly as he popped a couple of sweetmeats around for his mouth.

"Idiots."

-

"You," Niou pointed accusingly at Yagyuu, who drew back slightly away from the finger. "Are a bastard and a goddamn _tease_."

"Masaharu –" Yagyuu started.

"No, let me finish," Niou glared at him. "Shut up for a bit. Look, Hiroshi, you've kissed five times now, without telling me _why_. It's not that I mind, but I want an explanation and I want one _now_."

"Because you wouldn't have known otherwise," Yagyuu said, voice low and calm. Niou felt like kicking him in the shins.

"Huh?"

Yagyuu leaned forward, "Masaharu, I care for you. As far more than a friend or a comrade, I daresay. You are completely oblivious to anything that concerns yourself direction, especially on emotional matters like this. I merely gave you a friendly hint."

Niou gaped at him, "A _hint_? Well, I'm _sorry_, because I'm an idiot who knows shit about stuff like that, okay? I'm three years younger than you are, or have you forgotten?"

"I'm not asking for an apology," Yagyuu leaned forward a little more, but Niou didn't back away. "I'm asking for you to kiss me back."

Yagyuu kissed him, then.

Niou gasped at the sudden feel of lips against his own, dry and plush and chapped, and Yagyuu took the opportunity to slip his tongue into his mouth.

Niou gasped again.

He had never been kissed before. Not like this, at any rate. For one, most women didn't like a man who wasn't even twenty yet. For another, a spy wasn't exactly allowed to have relationships. Loosened tongues were a dangerous possibility. He had never mourned his lack of experience before, but he sure did now.

Because Yagyuu was obviously experienced and skilled. He was slowly drawing Niou's tongue, stiff with shock, to tangle with his own. Niou shivered slightly, and felt Yagyuu smile against his lips.

'_Smug bastard,_' he thought, half-fond.

Before long, they had to break apart just to avoid suffocation. Niou panted slightly, feeling dazed and dizzy. The situation had long spiralled out of his control.

He really couldn't care less.

"Masaharu," Yagyuu said, and Niou almost wanted to hit him for the sheer amusement in his voice. "Have you ever kissed someone before?"

"Only you," he admitted, quiet and unblushing. There was no shame in speaking the truth.

"I see," Yagyuu said, and Niou blinked at then note of satisfaction and possessiveness in his voice. "I'm glad."

"Why –" Niou started to say before Yagyuu kissed him again, taking his breath away.

"Because, Masaharu," Yagyuu whispered against the corner of Niou's lips. "You're _mine_."

He could feel Yagyuu's sharp-edged smile a split second before he opened his mouth, further deepening the kiss. He smiled inwardly.

'_Smug,_ possessive_ bastard._'

--

"Masaharu, you're spacing out," Yagyuu's breath glided past his ear, and Niou shivered slightly, the movement hidden under his heavy robes,

"Ah, sorry," he murmured, forcibly jerked out of his thoughts.

"You were thinking of me, I hope?"

Niou nodded, smirking slight just as Yukimura finished his speech. He had gotten the general idea, and Yagyuu would give him the details later.

"Good," Yagyuu whispered, sounding so satisfied that Niou wanted to laugh.

"… And now I shall conclude this meeting," Yukimura said, turning towards them. Niou blinked innocent, and Yagyuu smiled politely. "Any questions?"

The group shook their heads. Niou shrugged; he did, but it would look too suspicious if he asked.

Fuji was still upstairs, after all.

"You're dismissed," Yukimura waved a hand, looking straight at Niou.

Well, he really should know that couldn't fool his daimyo even if he tried.

"Masaharu?" Yagyuu asked, half out of the door.

Niou shook his head and pointed upwards, then jerked his head in Yukimura's direction. Yagyuu raised an eyebrow before nodding and leaving the room, shutting the door with a soft 'click'.

Niou waited, plopping down to sit on the floor. It didn't take very long before he could hear a quiet shuffling from above as Fuji left the room upstairs. He smirked.

'_Not good enough. You should learn to be more patient and watchful, Fuji-san. Everything you have just learnt is useless garbage, do you know that?_'

"Niou-kun, do you have anything to ask me?" Yukimura sounded amused again, but, this time, Niou wasn't completely sure what he was laughing about. It unsettled him.

He shrugged, "Not really. However…" he paused, sounding as uncertain and respectful as he could. It didn't hurt to be extra cautious, after all.

"However?" Yukimura queried, tilting his head to the side, looking at Niou with an inquisitive look in his eyes.

Niou stood and bowed formally, "Yukimura-dono, I request for a two days leave of absence. My family has sent a message: my mother is near her deathbed, and wishes to see me for the last time before her death."

'_Worse excuse I've ever thought up. Well, it's not as if I'm really _trying'

"Your honoured mother has admitted that you are her son?"

"No, sir, but such minor grudges do not matter to me right now. My mother wishes to see me, and I shall obey." He was honestly trying his best not to let his amusement slip into his voice or expression.

"How admirable," Yukimura's eyes were almost literally twinkling with mirth. "Very well, then. I grant you this leave of absence. You may leave tomorrow."

"Thank you, Yukimura-dono." Niou bowed again, more because of the fact that he needed to hide his smirk than of any reason need to do so.

The daimyo smiled and nodded, "You're dismissed, Niou-kun."

"Thank you."

'_Now,_' he thought as he left the room, shutting the door behind him. '_I need to ask Hiroshi for the exact details of what Yukimura-dono was talking about. Then I believe a visit to the 'family' is needed.'_

His smirk widened, and he chuckled softly.

'_How oddly appropriate that excuse is._'

---

"Yukimura is planning to lower the defences at the West Gate four days from today. Routine checks on the guards and all that," Niou shrugged nonchalantly as he bit into a piece of pickled yam.

Tachibana, seated across from him, sipped at his tea and raised an eyebrow, "Why is it necessary for you to visit just to tell us this, Niou?"

"Because Yukimura's getting a bit suspicious of all my letters out. I told him I'm visiting family. Plus, I've never seen your new headquarters, so I thought I'd visit."

Frowning, Fudomine's daimyo-General replied, "That's very reckless of you."

"I won't get caught," Niou waved a hand negligently as he nibble on another piece of pickled vegetables. "So when are we going to attack Rikkai?"

"It all depends on Tezuka-taichou. It'll most probably be soon, so be prepared."

Niou barely stopped himself from sneering, "So why does Seigaku want us to attack Rikkai first? It doesn't make any sense logically."

Tachibana sighed, setting down his cup, "We are the scouting team. We aren't attacking Rikkai; we are supposed to check the situation out for Tezuka before the Seigaku army goes in. This is the least we can do for Tezuka-taichou when he had spared our lives," the last sentence was spoken as a reprimand.

Niou scowled, not even bothering to hide it, "Yeah, yeah, I get it now. Do you have any more instructions, Tachibana-san? I have to leave soon. I was only allocated two days of leave, you know."

"You're dismissed, then," Tachibana nodded.

Niou stood and bowed shortly before he turned, nearly stomping out of the room. His expression was carefully kept blank, but his thoughts were churning furiously.

'_Tezuka's manipulating you, you idiot. Your honour code is definitely going to get you killed this time, and I'll be there to tell you 'I told you so'. Fucking moron._'

-

"I don't trust him," Ibu Shinji's voice suddenly came from behind him, but Tachibana's expression remained unsurprised as he turned. Ibu's head appeared from behind the screen door before he stepped fully into the room.

"I don't trust him," he muttered under his breath, just loud enough to be heard, as he walked towards Tachibana. "He's been away for far too long. Who is to say that he hasn't turned on us? And he has never fit in here anyway. He doesn't respect you as much as we do, Tachibana-san, and he's weird. I don't trust him and I think we should…"

"Shinji!" Tachibana held up a hand, shaking his head disapprovingly.

Ibu blinked, closing his mouth with an audible 'snap' when he registered Tachibana's expression.

"We shouldn't distrust our comrades. You should know that by now," Tachibana said, quietly commanding.

Ibu sighed and nodded, "Yes, Tachibana-san. I'm sorry."

"As long as you realize your mistake and take pains to correct it, you're forgiven," his expression softened, and he smiled. "Come, sit with me and have some tea."

Ibu sat, biting his lip so as not to mutter his thoughts out loud and anger Tachibana again.

'_I still don't trust him, Tachibana-san. No matter what you say._'

_End Part 03: Tachibana's Folly_


End file.
